Netherlands has had 10 straight winters with below-average number of snow days

For the tenth winter in a row, the Netherlands had fewer snow days than usual. On average, across the country, it snowed on 13 days this past winter, compared to the usual 20 days, Weer.nl reported. The last time the Netherlands had more snow than usual was in 2013, with 34 snow days nationwide.

The winter season, which runs from mid-autumn to mid-spring, averages 20 days of snow across the country in the current climate. The number of average snow days almost halved compared to the 1951-1980 climate period when the standard was 35 snow days per year. “Green winters will become the norm,” the weather service said.

In total, snow fell from the sky somewhere in the country on 36 days, compared to the usual 46 days for the climate period 1991-2020. De Bilt had snow on 16 days compared to 19. The Limburg hills had the most snow at 28 days. But that is still significantly lower than the usual 35 days of snow falling from the sky in the area. The coastal areas had hardly any snow - 9 days in Vlissingen and 8 in Den Helder, compared to the usual 13 and 19 days, respectively.

The first snowfall also came later than usual. In the 1991-2020 period, the first snowfall happened around November 9. This winter, the first snowflakes made their appearance on November 18. The snow that fell this past winter also hardly stayed on the ground. The Netherlands only had a snowy landscape on a large scale in January and March.