Icy roads prompt code yellow in Noordoost-Nederland ahead of incoming snow
A cold weekend weather pattern triggered a code yellow warning for icy roads in parts of Noordoost-Nederland on Saturday morning, while a separate winter system is expected to bring snow, rain, strong winds, and slippery conditions across the country through Sunday and Monday, according to KNMI and Weeronline.
KNMI issued the code yellow alert until 10 a.m. for Groningen, Drenthe, Friesland, Overijssel, and Gelderland because showers moving across those provinces could freeze on roads and footpaths.
The agency warned that “traffic and outdoor activities may be hindered” as patches of ice form in areas where wet surfaces refreeze.
Rijkswaterstaat reported that road crews have spread 1,274,649 kilograms of salt so far today and covered 21,995 kilometers with gritters. This season, a total of 3,303,569 kilograms of salt has been applied across 57,755 kilometers of roads.
Weeronline reported that Saturday will be mostly dry with intervals of sun and temperatures between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius. Despite the sunshine, the weekend remains colder than normal for the season.
By Sunday, the high will reach only about 4 degrees, and strong winds will push the wind chill even lower. Rain is expected in most regions on Sunday, with (wet) snow possible in the east. Snow could briefly stick on higher ground.
Weeronline’s national forecast shows that winter precipitation will increase as the weekend continues. After a sunny but cold start on Saturday—with freezing early-morning conditions—the cloud cover will thicken. In the late afternoon, light rain may develop in the Kop van Noord-Holland.
Clouds will spread Saturday evening, and overnight precipitation will move in from the west as rain or snow. A band of snow will then shift northeastward through the night, creating localized white conditions and slippery roads. The east and northeast are expected to remain dry overnight. Temperatures will sit around freezing, with a moderate to fairly strong south wind inland and strong to near-gale conditions along the coast.
Sunday will be mostly gray with periods of light snow in some regions. It will temporarily become drier from the southwest in the morning, but another precipitation zone will reach Zeeland before noon. That system will move northeastward during the afternoon, arriving as rain but turning increasingly into snow as it pushes farther inland. The highest snow totals are expected in the northeast, where several centimeters may accumulate. As the system passes, winds will shift from south to west.
By late Sunday evening, wet snow or snow may still fall in the northeast, but warmer air will eventually change all precipitation to rain. Early Monday, temperatures will rise to about 2 degrees in Groningen and 5 to 7 degrees elsewhere. Rain showers are expected mainly in the northern part of the country overnight.
Monday will be cloudy and damp, with scattered showers and brief breaks of sun. Highs will reach 6 to 8 degrees with a light to moderate south wind, and a moderate to fairly strong west wind in Zeeland.
The wintry pattern will weaken after Monday. On Tuesday, a few showers may persist, but Wednesday is expected to bring more frequent sunshine and highs between 5 and 8 degrees. Light overnight frost is possible in some areas. Later in the week, the weather will turn more changeable with periodic rain and a gradual temperature rise toward double digits.
