Code Yellow warning issued for rough winds, icy roads

Dutch meteorological agency KNMI issued a Code Yellow weather warning for wind gusts of up to 100 km/h, and slippery roads with a chance of snow. The nasty weather could last throughout Tuesday morning, a sudden change from the the warm temperatures last week, and the mild spring weather over the weekend.

It seemed to prove the rhyming Dutch expression, “April doet wat hij wil,” which translates to “April does whatever it wants.” The Easter Monday holiday in the Netherlands started with a stiff, sustained wind along the coast. There were issues with slippery roads in Friesland and Groningen, where sleet and wet snow was falling by 10 a.m. Earlier in the morning, and ambulance crashed into a pole in Drachten, with the two occupants transported by a separate ambulance to an area hospital.

“Starting at the end of the afternoon in the north and west, especially during rain showers, there is a chance of heavy gusts of wind between 80 - 100 km/h from a northwestern direction” the KNMI cautioned.

The alert for the wind gusts affects mainly Friesland, Flevoland, Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland, as well as the regions around the Wadden Islands and the IJsselmeer. That warning goes into effect in most places at 6 p.m., and will last until midnight.

“In addition, tonight the chance of localized slipperiness as a result of hail and snow showers from the north will increase,” the KNMI wrote. The agency put out a national alert for all provinces because of the threat of icy roadways.

That warning starts at 6 p.m. up north, and 10 p.m. in the south. It was scheduled to expire at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday.