Approaching cold snap gives hope to skaters
The coming days will be very cold in the Netherlands with night time temperatures dropping to -5 degrees Celsius, giving good hope to skating enthusiasts. "It depends on several factors, but skating is certainly not inconceivable", Diana Woei, weather-woman at Weerplaza, said to newspaper AD.
"Gloves, scarf and hat are definitely needed this weekend, because cold air is gradually gaining ground. There is also a local chance of snow", Weerplaza warns on its website. According to the current 15 day forecast, the Netherlands will have icy weather until at least Wednesday, with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday being the coldest.
Large parts of the Netherlands will wake up to a layer of frost on Saturday and Sunday, with maximum temperatures climbing only to between 2 and 4 degrees Celsius. After that, it will be even colder. "We may get the first ice days of this winter season. This means that the temperature stays below freezing for a period of 24 hours", Woei said.
So there is a good chance of a layer of ice developing. But whether that layer will be thick enough to skate on, is hard to predict. If the current prediction holds, Weerplaza expects about 2 to 4 centimeters of ice at a water depth of one meter. "Skating on a deep ditch, canal, lake or river will therefore not happen. But it might be possible on a flooded meadow." According to Woei, Wednesday and Thursday offer the best chances for skating enthusiasts. "After that it will quickly become less cold again. So if you can skate, you should do so right away."
