Icy roads in northern Netherlands; Code Orange warning for Friesland, Wadden Islands
Icy roads are causing hazardous driving conditions in the northern parts of the Netherlands. The KNMI has a code orange weather warning in effect for Friesland and the Wadden Islands, and a code yellow for Groningen, Drenthe, Flevoland, and Overijssel.
A combination of rainfall and freezing temperatures has caused black ice in several locations in the north, making highways and cycle paths “treacherously slippery,” the KNMI warned. “The slippery conditions will disappear again in the course of the morning, lastly in Groningen and on the Wadden Islands.”
According to Weeronline, the icy conditions in the north could persist until the afternoon, because maximums will hover around freezing.
Qbuzz reported that several bus routes in Drenthe won’t run until at least 9:00 a.m. due to “extremely slippery conditions.” Buses on Terschelling are also not running due to the icy conditions, NOS reported.
According to RTV Drenthe, streets in Drenthe are covered in ice. A car went off the road near the A37 between Emmen and Hoogeveen, ending up on its side in the central reservation. The driver was taken to the hospital for a check-up. In Nieuw-Werdinge, a truck went off the road.
The public works and infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat warned motorists of the slippery conditions. “The urgent advice for road users in the relevant provinces is therefore: do not use the roads until absolutely necessary.” Gritting trucks are working to combat the icy conditions. Rijkswaterstaat also deployed its “emergency response vehicles,” the Lavastorm and Firestorm, to combat black ice.
The morning will be dry with occasional sunshine and a moderate wind from the east. Cloud cover will increase in the afternoon, but little to no precipitation is expected. Afternoon temperatures will range between 9 degrees in the south and freezing in the north, according to the KNMI.
Overnight, icy conditions could occur again in the northeast due to rain or snow. The rest of the country should remain dry. Minimums will drop to between +4 degrees in the southwest and -3 degrees in the northeast.
Saturday will be cloudy with a chance of snow in the north and the east. The KNMI expects 1 to 3 centimeters of snowfall. Maximums will range between 8 degrees Celsius in the southwest and -2 degrees in the northeast.
“Sunday and Monday will be dry with sunshine everywhere,” the meteorological institute said. “From Tuesday onwards, occasional rain is likely, with snow possible in the northeast. It will also be much colder in the northeast than in the southwest.”
