"Small chance of snow" in northeastern Netherlands this weekend

Overnight temperatures could fall to just 2 degrees Celsius in the Netherlands this weekend, with high temperatures in some cases temperatures will not warm up above 6 degrees. Those in the northeast of the country may have to contend with some snowfall in the coming days, said Dutch meteorological institute KNMI.

A stiff wind of up to 60 kilometers per hour is expected on Thursday morning along the coast, and will be moderate inland. At the start of the day, temperatures are likely to range from 6 degrees in the northeast to 9 degrees in the central and southern regions. However, the thermometer will rise a few degrees nearly everywhere except in Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. Rain is likely with up to 15 millimeters of precipitation expected. The near gale force winds could die down slightly, but should remain strong along the shoreline.

Similar temperatures are expected on Friday, but will become chillier over the weekend. "A few showers and fairly mild on Friday. On Saturday and possibly also afterwards, there is a good chance of (quite) cold weather with a high of a few degrees above zero in the northeast," the KNMI stated. The cold could extend further southwest into the country, but the weather models remain uncertain.

"It remains variable, with rain from time to time; a small chance of snow in the northeast during the weekend." There is little chance of sunshine from Thursday through Tuesday. The cold overnight temperatures should remain into next week, ranging from about 2 degrees in the northeast to 5 degrees elsewhere.

High temperatures during the day are likely to be between 6 and 9 degrees. Temperatures should remain about average for this time of year, which means highs of around 9 degrees, and lows closer to 3 degrees.

Despite the prospect of snow, meteorologist Rico Schröder from Weeronline said that global warming means there is a statistically higher chance of a mild winter instead of a cold winter. "The chance of a severe winter, such as occurred in the middle of the last century, is even smaller," he said.

He referenced the winter of 1963, the coldest on record since 1901, when the average temperature was -3.0 degrees. The last time De Bilt, Utrecht, had an average below zero was the 1995-1996 winter when the thermometer froze at -0.2 degrees on average.

"Based on statistics and the warming of the climate, there is a good chance (75 percent) that we will have a mild winter again, but our climate remains erratic and so we certainly cannot rule out a cold winter. Severe winters like the mid-twentieth century have become virtually impossible in the warmed climate," Schröder said.