Coldest winter day about to hit the Netherlands; Ice skaters rejoice

The coldest night of this winter so far is about to hit the Netherlands. Overnight temperatures will drop to between -5 and -8 degrees Celsius, Weeronline expects. The coming days will also have below zero minimums, and maximum temperatures hovering around freezing.

The winter temperatures will last until the weekend, after which it will warm up somewhat, according to meteorological institute KNMI. "Although we certainly can not say that the winter is then over", a spokesperson for the institute said to NU.nl.

The icy weather is good news for skating enthusiasts. A number of skating rinks in, among others, the provinces of Utrecht, Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant are already open on Tuesday, RTL Nieuws reports. People at Hard Gaat-ie in De Lier, Zuid-Holland and Vooruitgang in Ammerstol worked through the night to get their skating rings ready and opened on Tuesday morning.