Icy roads trigger code orange warning in three provinces; Multiple accidents
Update 8:08 a.m. - Article updated with more current traffic info from ANWB
Icy roads are causing very dangerous conditions in Noord-Brabant, Limburg, and Gelderland on Thursday morning. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code orange warning for those provinces and a code yellow for Utrecht, Overijssel, and Drenthe. The slippery conditions have already caused dozens of accidents on Dutch roads.
There were 724 kilometers of traffic jams on major Dutch roadways at 8:03 a.m., according to the ANWB. Drivers on the A2 were stuck in back-ups extending over 90 kilometers. There were serious traffic jams around Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Breda, and Arnhem.
Ice on the roads is extra dangerous because it can be hard to see. Drive slowly and keep a safe following distance, the KNMI urged road users. Most of the ice should melt away by mid-morning, but in parts of Limburg, it could stick around into the afternoon.
The icy roads have caused dozens of accidents since the early hours of the morning. Cars slipped off the road on the A12 and the A348 near Arnhem and the A1 between Apeldoorn and Enschede. Most of the accidents resulted in minor damage, but some were more serious, according to NOS.
Traffic built up early on the A12 from the German border to Arnhem after an accident involving a truck and several cars, Rijkswaterstaat reported on Twitter. The authorities closed down multiple lanes. Two lanes are closed on the A16 south before the Van Brieneoordburg due to another accident. Only one lane is open on the A50 near Loenen toward Arnhem.
Thursday will be mostly cloudy, with some light showers or wet snow across the country. Maximum temperatures will range from 7 degrees Celsius in the northwest and 1 degree in Zuid-Limburg, according to the KNMI.