Icy roads: Motorists warned to drive carefully

Winter showers and snow falling over night, combined with low temperatures, mean that the roads may be treacherously icy this morning. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning for the entire Netherlands. 

Motorists are warned to drive carefully this morning. "Adjust your driving behavior", the KNMI says. Slow down and keep a safe following distance. "Follow weather reports and warnings." The iciness is expected to melt away by noon.

During the day, the coastal provinces will also see some strong northwesterly winds, with gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour. A code yellow warning takes affect in Zeeland and Zuid-Holland at 10:00 a.m., and in Noord-Holland from noon. 

The morning will be rainy, and snowy further inland. Maximum temperatures will climb to around five degrees. The showers are expected to decrease during the afternoon. 

On Wednesday night showers will move across the country. The southwestern part of the Netherlands will see mostly rain, but further towards the northeast snow is more likely. Minimum temperatures will drop to around freezing. 

Enough snow will fall in the north and east of the country on Thursday morning that the landscape may turn white for a time, KNMI expects. Thursday morning will also be very windy across the country, with gusts between 80 and 100 kilometers per hour. The western coast may even see very strong winds, with gusts between 100 and 120 kilometers per hour.