Regions across the Netherlands woke up this morning to a lovely layer of snow, leading the Dutch Weather Institute (KNMI) to issue code yellow and orange weather warnings for most of the country for snowfall and slippery conditions. 

The Netherlands sees first snow of 2023

While the first couple of weeks of 2023 saw unseasonably warm temperatures, this week the Netherlands has seen its first taste of real winter weather; Thursday morning brought chaos to southern regions of the country after the provinces of Limburg and North Brabant woke to a considerable sprinkling of snow. 

The centimetres-thick layer of snow led to significant disruption and a number of accidents on various Dutch roads in and around cities like Eindhoven. The Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) reports that there were around 800 kilometres of traffic jams on highways and provincial roads during morning rush hour on January 19.  

Op de #N2 staat het verkeer stil op knp. Leenderheide omdat vrachtverkeer moeite heeft om de #A2 op te komen door de gladheid en sneeuw. Er komt een berger te hulp. Rondom Eindhoven zien we veel files door de weersomstandigheden. Actuele vertragingen via https://t.co/AkieH73nbO pic.twitter.com/8O8KJpQnev

— Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinformatie (@RWSverkeersinfo) January 19, 2023

Weather warnings in place across most of the Netherlands 

Friday morning has brought more snowy weather to the Lowlands; the KNMI predicts that some parts of the provinces of Limburg and North Brabant could see up to 8 centimetres of snow on January 20, while residents in cities like Amsterdam have also seen a number of flurries on Friday morning. 

The snowy conditions combined with the chilly temperatures mean a code orange weather warning is in place in North Brabant and Limburg, while the provinces of Zeeland, South Holland, North Holland, Utrecht, Gelderland, Friesland, Groningen, Flevoland, Overijssel and Drenthe are under a code yellow warning, until 2pm on Friday.

The KNMI has warned drivers to watch out for slippery conditions on the roads. The Rijkswaterstaat has therefore advised members of the public to adjust their travel plans, and asked workers to work from home on Friday if possible. 

Dutch weather to remain cold over the weekend

Heading into this weekend, more weather warnings are in place for the whole country from 8pm on Friday evening through to 11am on Saturday morning with roads expected to be extremely slippery as temperatures dip below zero. 

On Saturday morning, there will likely be a decent amount of sunshine, but temperatures will remain low and cloud cover will increase throughout the course of the day. Sunday looks fairly similar, with forecasts predicting clouds and fog in the morning and sunnier spells on Sunday afternoon. Weerplaza says temperatures will stay at around zero, reaching highs of 4 degrees along the coast.

Thumb: Wirestock Creators via Shutterstock.com.