Temperatures plunged below freezing at the standard meteorological height of 1.5 meters in the night from Thursday to Friday, marking the first local frost of the autumn season in the Netherlands. While ground-level frost had been documented as early as September 25 in Twente, this week’s drop confirms a broader seasonal shift, according to data from Weeronline and the KNMI.
A chilled landscape across the south
The cold snap hit the southern provinces hardest, with Brabant, Limburg, and Zeeland bearing the brunt of the chill. At the Westdorpe station in Zeeland, thermometers bottomed out at -0.4 degrees. Stefan van der Gijze noted that while ground-level frost at 10 centimeters is a frequent occurrence, recording these values within the thermometer shelter at 1.5 meters is a more significant threshold.
The arrival of the frost is later than the long-term average. It trails last year’s timeline, when Eelde did not record its first frost until November 16. To qualify as a “national” frost, the mercury must dip below zero at the KNMI station in De Bilt; during this event, the station bottomed out at 0.8 degrees, narrowly escaping the freezing mark.
Natural ice on the Winterswijk track
Despite air temperatures remaining above freezing in the area, the Winterswijkse IJsvereniging managed to open the country’s first natural ice rink. Using specialized techniques, the club achieved an ice thickness of 2.5 millimeters on its 400-meter track. The rink opened its gates at 7:30 a.m. to roughly twenty skaters, only to close by 10:00 a.m. as the rising sun compromised the surface.
Auke Spijkstra, chairman of the rink, noted the skepticism surrounding the early opening. If you tell people that, they say: ‘It’s impossible.’ But it is possible. It’s wonderful to see all those enthusiastic people,
Spijkstra said.
High pressure brings cold weather before Wednesday thaw
Clear skies and calm conditions, driven by a powerful area of high pressure, allowed the mercury to plummet. While daytime highs have lingered between 8 and 10 degrees—colder than the typical 11 to 12 degrees for early November—the window for winter conditions is closing.
That wind makes it feel just a bit more wintry,
Willemsen added. However, the respite will be brief. A change will likely follow on Wednesday. Then we will have to deal with more clouds, rain, picking up winds, and probably a higher temperature as well. While we will likely end up at a maximum of 10 degrees through Tuesday, we will go well above that afterwards.