Sunday is first official ‘ice day’ in over two years, big freeze set to continue

Having fun in the snow in Utrecht. Photo: Robin van Lonkhuijzen ANP
Having fun in the snow in Utrecht. Photo: Robin van Lonkhuijzen ANP

Sunday is the first official ‘ice day’ in the Netherlands for 746 days, meaning the temperature remains below zero for a 24-hour period, according to weather bureau Weerplaza.

The last time it froze for a full day at the De Bilt weather station near Hilversum was on January 24, 2019.

Little change is expected in the coming days. According to the KNMI, the temperature will remain below zero until next Saturday at least, and there is a 50% chance the freeze will continue past then.

Railways

The snow and strong winds have caused problems on the roads and railways, with NS cancelling all services until Monday and trams and trains disrupted in many places. In Amsterdam, all public transport services have been cancelled.

Primary schools in the capital, which were set to reopen on Monday, will also stay shut because of the wintry conditions.

There was also a small anti-lockdown protest in Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon, where demonstrators intermingled with people taking advantage of the sloping roof of the Albert Heijn supermarket to enjoy the snow.

Most of the snow fell over central parts of the country, with relatively little in the north and south. And some villages in Gelderland, which had more snow than the rest of the country, have even been cut off after roads became impassable, Weerplaza reported.

People hoping to order food online will be disappointed. Food delivery service Thuisbezorgd has said it will only operate in Maastricht, where there is just a light sprinkling of snow while Deliveroo and UberEats have cancelled all deliveries.

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