Coldest Christmas Day since 1994 brought winter’s first ice day and overnight frost

Temperatures in De Bilt, the location used as the national benchmark for official weather measurements in the Netherlands by the KNMI, did not rise above zero at any point on Christmas Day. This marked the winter’s first official ice day and made it the coldest Christmas Day since 1994, with Weeronline reporting a peak temperature of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.

This was then followed by the first the first official moderate frost of the winter overnight. Temperatures in De Bilt fell to minus 5.5 degrees Celsius in the evening hours Thursday leading into Friday. The previous instance of moderate frost in De Bilt occurred on February 17, when the thermometer reached minus 5.2 degrees.

Earlier this winter, some regions had already experienced moderate frost. On November 21, temperatures dropped to minus 5.4 degrees in Eelde and minus 5.1 degrees in Twente.

During the previous winter, 2024–2025, the first moderate frost in De Bilt was only recorded on February 2, which was later than usual. On average, the first moderate frost is observed on December 23.

De Bilt last recorded an ice day on January 19 this year. Elsewhere in the country, the most recent local ice day was on February 13, when Hoogeveen did not see temperatures rise above minus 0.5 degrees Celsius throughout the day.

In today’s Dutch climate, the number of ice days typically ranges from about three per year in western Zeeland to as many as nine in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country. In De Bilt, the climate average for the period 1995–2024 stands at six ice days.

In addition to the cold, Christmas Day stood out for its abundant sunshine, totaling 6.7 hours. The record for the sunniest Christmas Day in De Bilt dates back to 1976 with 7.2 hours of sun. The coldest Christmas Day on record was in 1961, when temperatures peaked at only minus 3.9 degrees Celsius.

Across the country, skating returned on Christmas Day as freezing temperatures set in. Thanks to the cold weather and the work of volunteers, ice rinks opened in locations including De Lier in Zuid-Holland and Zeist in Utrecht, allowing skaters onto the ice.

Ice days typically occur between December and February and are more common in the east and northeast than in the west. Their rarity in recent years is illustrated by a 762-day stretch without an official ice day in De Bilt, which ended in January 2025.