Bad news for snow lovers: no white Christmas this year

For the seventh year in a row, the Netherlands will not have snow on Christmas, according to Weeronline. The weather for Monday is expected to be stormy due to a strong southwest wind, but relatively mild, the weather service reports.

Thursday is the shortest day of the year and the start of astronomical winter. Despite some snow storms early this month, temperatures across the country are currently relatively mild with maximum temperatures ranging between 9 and 11 degrees, and minimum temperatures above freezing. On average, late December afternoon temperatures are between 4 and 6 degrees, and minimum temperatures regularly drop to freezing inland.

The mild temperatures are expected to last throughout the Christmas days, with afternoon temperatures between 6 and 9 degrees. The weather will be stormy with rain and strong winds. There is only an 8 percent chance of snow. And the chance of enough snow falling to cover the ground in white is even smaller at only 2 percent.

The last white Christmas in the Netherlands was in 2010. In that year the entire country except the Wadden, the top of Noord-Holland and Friesland had between 5 and 20 centimeters of snow.