Netherlands sees record-mild late February after ice and snow
February in the Netherlands was markedly mild and slightly dry, yet frequently gray, and it closed with record warmth. Even as parts of the country dealt with ice and snow earlier in the month, weeronline reports. Nationally, the average temperature reached 5.8 degrees, well above the long-term normal of 4.4, while freezing rain and snow caused hazardous conditions on several days, particularly in the north.
The month reportedly underscored a long-term warming trend. The current climate average for February, based on the 1996–2025 period, stands at 4.4 degrees. That compares with 3.3 degrees in 1981–2010, 3.0 degrees in 1971–2000, and 2.3 degrees during the 1980s, showing a steady rise over decades.
At the national reference station in De Bilt, February recorded just five frost days, fewer than the normal 11. There was one day with moderate frost, when the minimum temperature dropped below minus 5 degrees, compared with two such days in a typical February. The lowest temperature in De Bilt was minus 5.2 degrees on February 14. No ice days were recorded, compared to a normal one.
Temperature contrasts across the country were pronounced. In the northeast, Nieuw-Beerta logged 14 days with temperatures below freezing, while Eelde and Hoogeveen each had 13 frost days. In contrast, Vlissingen recorded no frost at all. Elsewhere in Zeeland, Westdorpe and Wilhelminadorp each had three frost days.
Sunshine was scarce. The Netherlands averaged 76 hours of sunshine during the month, well below the normal 95. The west and northwest saw the most sunshine, along with parts of southern Limburg, while the southwest and northeast were the gloomiest, making February a notably somber month despite its record mild finish.
The warmest day of the month came on February 25, the first official day of meteorological spring. De Bilt reached 17.3 degrees, while Eindhoven and Maastricht both hit 19.8 degrees. It was also the warmest February 25 ever recorded in the Netherlands and the warmest day of the winter nationwide.
That warmth capped the mildest end to February on record. In De Bilt, the average temperature for the final week of the month, calculated over day and night, reached 10.5 degrees. The previous record for that period was 9.5 degrees, set in 2021. The normal average for the last decade of February is 5.1 degrees.
Precipitation totals were slightly below average overall. Across the country, 58 millimeters of precipitation fell, compared with a normal of 65 millimeters for the 1996–2025 period. The driest conditions were in Noord-Holland and Flevoland, where totals ranged from 25 to 40 millimeters.
Much wetter conditions prevailed in the northeast and especially in the south. In southern Limburg, many locations exceeded 100 millimeters, including 126 millimeters in Vaals and 135 millimeters in Epen.
Despite the mild average temperatures, winter weather made repeated appearances. The north experienced hazardous icy conditions on February 2 as a result of freezing rain. A day later, authorities issued a red weather warning for extremely slippery roads in the same region.
Freezing rain returned on February 5 and February 6, again affecting the northern half of the country. Snow fell nationwide on February 15 and February 16, with accumulations of about 1 to 2 inches, and additional wet snow briefly whitened parts of the country on February 19.
