Dropping temperatures, increasing icy and slippery roads and a "very thick layer of snow", are expected for the Netherlands for the rest of this week and next week, according to MeteoGroup weatherman Reinout van den Born, Omroep Brabant reports.
From Thursday the upper air will be very cold, leading to sleet and possibly snow. This week the snow will still partially melt, but by next week the Netherlands may be covered in a thick layer.
Despite a few days of climbing temperatures, the Netherlands can expect winter weather again later this week. From Thursday Weerplaza expects snow and sleet for the country.
A rain zone will pass over the Netherlands on Thursday, brining a strong northwesterly wind with it that will blow polar air across the country. On Thursday afternoon the numerous showers are expected to turn into snow and sleet. "In some regions several inches of snow can fall, enough for snow fun, but also enough to delay traffic."
The first snow of the season hit the Netherlands on Monday night and during the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to Weeronline. Reports of wet snow or sleet came from Stiens in Friesland and Roodeschool in Groningen. Frost also triggered the first deployment of salt trucks this season, RTL reports.
Temperatures dropped to below zero in large parts of the Netherlands overnight. Gritters were mainly deployed in Noord-Holland, Friesland and Groningen. Roads,b ridges, viaducts and highway ramps may be slippery in these provinces, but also in the rest of the country.
While many places in the Netherlands have sunshine on Tuesday, that does not mean the winter is coming to an end. The rest of the week will be cold, with overnight freezes and a small chance of rain or wet snow, according to Weerplaza.
The KNMI issued a code red warning for black ice and slick roads in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. Do not drive if it is not strictly necessary. The warning is in effect from 5:00 a.m. until noon.
The rail traffic around Utrecht came to a standstill just before 08:30 this morning because of a fault in the control of signals and points. NS recommends that travelers avoid Utrecht for the time being.
Trains nationwide will run normally on Friday, says a statement on the website of Dutch train service NS, though adding that some scheduling adjustments may occur if the weather becomes inclement.
Snowfall will cover a large portion of the Netherlands Sunday night, meteorologists at the KNMI say. All provinces are under a code yellow weather alert for snow and slippery conditions, except Noord and Zuid Holland, and Zeeland.
The fierce winds that have wreaked havoc across much of the Netherlands for several days in a row will likely ease off by the weekend. Wind gusts of 80 km/h and higher have been reported across the country, with Dutch weather experts calling for a sixth straight code yellow weather warning for coastal provinces and Limburg.
The slick roads warning for the center and east of the country has been withdrawn. Motorists should still be careful on local roads as they may still be slippery. According to the Traffic Information Service (VID), most of the slickness should disappear during the course of the morning.
The Rijkswaterstaat's gritting lorries was sent out again last night. Over this weekend almost the same amount of salt was spread on roads as throughout the whole of the previous winter season, when the winter was very mild.
The first snowflakes of 2014 could fall as early as Monday with winds from the northeast and the east predicted to bring colder weather across the Netherlands. Weeronline.nl says there is "a realistic chance of snow."
