This winter in Netherlands was dry, gloomy, and milder than typical
The winter of 2024-2025 in the Netherlands was warmer and drier than usual, with fewer frost days and a record-breaking warm day in February. National meteorological data shows that the country received less precipitation than normal, while December and January remained cloudy.
According to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), the average winter temperature in De Bilt was 4.5 degrees, slightly above the normal 4.2 degrees. The highest recorded temperature occurred on February 21, when Woensdrecht reached 19.3 degrees, while De Bilt recorded a maximum of 17.9 degrees. This marked the earliest date in the year for such a high temperature, breaking the previous record of 16.9 degrees set in 1990 and 2021.
The number of frost days in De Bilt totaled 29, below the normal 34. Of these, only three days recorded moderate frost with temperatures below -5 degrees, significantly fewer than the average of eight days.
"On February 2, we observed the first moderate frost in De Bilt, which is unusually late," the KNMI reported. The temperature that day fell to -5.4 degrees, marking the coldest reading of the season in De Bilt.
Eelde recorded the most frost days with 40, followed by Deelen with 37. The first moderate frost in the Netherlands was observed in Eelde on January 11, where the temperature dropped to -6.0 degrees. Several other locations, including Wijk aan Zee, Deelen, Gilze-Rijen, Woensdrecht, and Eindhoven, also recorded sub -5-degree temperatures that day.
Severe frost, defined as temperatures below -10 degrees, was not observed anywhere in the country this winter. The lowest nationwide temperature of -8.8 degrees was recorded on February 18 in Twente.
January 18 marked the first official ice day in 762 days, with De Bilt failing to reach above freezing at -0.7 degrees. This ended a record-long period without an ice day since December 17, 2022. Other regions, including Nieuw-Beerta, Hupsel, Maastricht, and Twente, recorded a total of five ice days, with the coldest maximum temperature occurring on January 19 in Twente at -1.8 degrees.
Despite the wet conditions in the latter half of 2023, the winter of 2024-2025 was dry, with total precipitation amounting to 191 millimeters compared to the seasonal norm of 229 millimeters. December and February were particularly dry, while January had slightly above-average rainfall.
December saw 79 millimeters of precipitation, slightly below the normal 87 millimeters. However, some areas in Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland received over 100 millimeters, with Maasland recording the highest total at 141 millimeters. December 5, traditionally Sinterklaasavond, was notable for heavy rainfall, with De Bilt recording 12.4 millimeters, the wettest Sinterklaas evening on record.
January recorded 88 millimeters of precipitation, exceeding the normal 75 millimeters. The southeast was the wettest region, with multiple locations receiving over 150 millimeters. The north was significantly drier, with many areas reporting between 60 and 80 millimeters. In De Bilt, January 1 was the third-wettest New Year's Day since 1901, with 15 millimeters of rain.
February was especially dry, with only 24 millimeters of rainfall, far below the 66-millimeter norm. Most of the country recorded less than 50 millimeters, with some northeastern and southeastern areas receiving no more than 15 millimeters.
