The country will have to deal with a remarkable winter raid this weekend, Weerplaza predicts Friday. Extensive snowfall in the night from Saturday to Sunday causes 10 to 20 centimeters of snow to lie in many places and a cold easterly wind blows. It should not be called a snowstorm, but according to the weather institute we can deal with a “snowdrift”.
Such a snowdrift occurs at wind force 6 or 7. The strong wind means that snow drifts can occur. The snow thickness can therefore be erratic, especially in open areas, according to Weerplaza.
Although it is still mild in many places in the country on Friday, the winter weather in the night from Friday to Saturday is cautiously entering the north, where a little snow can already fall. The temperature drops to just below zero and a cold easterly wind is blowing.
On Saturday the temperatures will not or hardly rise and at the end of the afternoon a precipitation area will enter the country via the south. When temperatures drop, that precipitation can turn into snow. “It is still difficult to indicate exactly where the boundary between rain and snow will be, but probably somewhere around or just south of the river area”, says Weerplaza.
In the night from Saturday to Sunday there is a lot of snow
The precipitation area causes snowfall in a large part of the country during the night from Saturday to Sunday. In the south, it usually rains at first, but that can turn into ice when the temperatures drop. That can lead to quite a few problems on the road. Ice is difficult to combat for road gritting services, especially now that curfews mean that there is virtually no traffic to drive out the road salt.
Most places in the country will be covered with a layer of 10 to 20 centimeters of snow, Weerplaza predicts. Locally, however, the snow layer can be higher, partly due to the snow drifts caused by the wind.
Sunday wind chill temperatures down to -10 possible
The snowfall will diminish during the day on Sunday, but the very cold east wind will continue to blow. Although the thermometer shows a temperature of -5 to -3 degrees, the wind chill is probably a lot lower and it can feel like 10 degrees below zero.
“Snow lovers who want to go out in a sled are wise to dress warmly”, warns Weerplaza.
The cold temperatures will continue next week. Weerplaza expects a few very cold days, on which the temperature hardly exceeds -5 degrees. If the wind also decreases and it clears up during the night, severe frost cannot be ruled out. “Good for the formation of natural ice, so who knows, you might be able to skate on a local scale later in the week,” said the weather service.
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