The Netherlands has been officially hit by a snowstorm since Saturday evening. Trees fell on highways and disrupted air and train traffic.
Before an official snowstorm occurs, an average wind speed of at least 8 Beaufort should be measured for an hour, accompanied by snow or snowfall. The last time this happened was in January 2010. On a Saturday evening, between 23:00 and midnight, conditions for a snowstorm were reached on Houtribdijk, between Enkhuizen and Lelystad. It’s still windy on and along the IJsselmeer.
Most of the snow has fallen so far in Twente, Achterhoek and Nijmegen. There are about 10 to 20 cm of snow in these places, which can grow to a layer of 25 cm during the day. On average throughout the country, snow cover varies between 5 and 10 centimeters. Snow is difficult to measure due to wind. In one place there is almost nothing, and a meter of slightly falling snow.
No trains
The storm caused trees to fall on highways across the country. This happened in Bunnik on the A12, among other places. Rijkswaterstaat Traffic Information has also reported a number of early morning accidents and crashes, including on A2 and A4. There are no major accidents, but there are many reports of cars slipping and hitting the crash barrier.
It was also announced on Sunday morning that there would be no trains in the Netherlands until at least 12 o’clock. There are a lot of failures. Eindhoven airport will also remain closed until at least noon, according to reports from the airport on Twitter. There are no flights. Upcoming flights have been diverted to Cologne. Schiphol Airport reported on its website that flights could be delayed or canceled due to weather conditions.
Collision hot and cold
The snowfall is a result of the collision of the soft air from the south and the cold air in the north. Also on Sunday, it snows all day in the Netherlands and it still snows with a lot of winds. Snowfall decreases Sunday evening. At night until Monday, the winds are also significantly reduced and are followed by a week with cold winter weather. Also in BelgiumAnd especially in Flanders, we are under the influence of sudden cold.
The last severe snowstorm in the Netherlands dates back to 1985 when it snows on January 8 and 9 in gusty winds. The blizzard was the heaviest and most turbulent that occurred on February 14, 1979. Then the blizzard lasted 90 hours and snow dunes formed from 3 to 6 meters. Only on January 9, 2010, was there an official snow storm in Hoek van Holland, Lauwersoog, Schiermonnikoog, and over IJsselmeer.
