IJsselmeer

A daredevil skater was spotted on the Keizergracht in Amsterdam on Thursday. Despite some Amsterdam canals being closed to boating traffic since Tuesday to promote ice forming, the ice on the canals is still not thick enough to skate on safely, Waternet warns.

"It's not thick enough yet. People are responsible for themselves, but think logically about it", a Waternet spokesperson said to RTL Nieuws. If you do go out on the ice, be extremely careful. 

Motorists in large parts of the Netherlands will have to deal with thick fog on Tuesday morning, especially in the center, west and south of the country. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning, saying that visibility may be reduced to less than 200 meters.

"Dangerous driving conditions due to poor visibility", the KNMI warns. "Adjust speed and keep a sufficient distance. Fog can be treacherous due to sudden appearance. Follow weather reports and warnings."

On Monday Rijkswaterstaat recovered the "Ghost Ship" De Trintel, which has been lying on the IJsselmeer, next to the Noordemeer dike by Rutten since May. The ship was transported to a Rijkswaterstaat terrain in Lelystad on Tuesday from where it will be auctioned.

Wind speeds up to 90 km/h have been predicted for much of the Netherlands on Friday and Saturday, meteorological department KNMI reports. Winds could even reach up to 100 km/h in some coastal areas on Friday morning.

Two F-16 fighter jets were ordered to intercept a small private jet after it was piloted over Utrecht province Tuesday evening. The military jets were scrambled when the Learjet failed to respond to air traffic control radio communications, the Defence ministry announced.

Strong winds battered the coasts of the Netherlands early this morning marking the third major storm to hit the country this year. French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that a Russian seaman was swept overboard on a ship operated by Dutch firm Wagenborg and has not been found.