Colder temps and snow on the way in January; Saturday marked first fully subzero day

The Netherlands saw its first local ice day of the winter season on Saturday, December 28, 2024, as temperatures remained below freezing all day in Hoogeveen, Drenthe. According to weeronline, the maximum temperature reached only -0.2 degrees. A similar ice day occurred in Heino, where temperatures peaked at -0.1 degrees.

Typically, the first local ice day of the year falls around December 20, according to current climate data, making this year’s first ice day relatively late. The last occurrence of a local ice day in the country was nearly a year ago, on January 18, 2024, in Maastricht, where temperatures did not rise above -0.5 degrees.

In the current climate, the Netherlands typically experiences between three and nine ice days per winter, depending on the region. The western region, including Zeeland, averages three ice days, while the eastern and northeastern regions see up to nine. In De Bilt, a town located in the center of the country, the average number of ice days between 1994 and 2023 was six.

This winter’s delayed ice day contrasts with last year, when the first local ice day was already recorded on November 30, 2023. The previous winters also saw early ice days: December 9, 2022, and December 22, 2021. In 2020 and 2021, the first ice days occurred on January 21 and January 22, respectively.

The most recent historical comparison dates back to October 30, 1940, when the earliest local ice day was recorded, with temperatures in Maastricht remaining at -0.2 degrees. The latest local ice day occurred much later, on April 5, 1911, also in Maastricht, with a high of just -0.5 degrees.

While the occurrence of local ice days varies from year to year, there has never been a winter without at least one. The winter of 2019-2020 came close, with a single ice day in the town of Ell in Limburg on January 21, 2020, when temperatures were just below freezing at -0.1 degrees.

The winter of 1947 holds the record for the most ice days in the country. Between November 1946 and March 1947, temperatures in Eelde remained below zero for 61 consecutive days. The record for De Bilt stands at 49 ice days in the winter of 1947.