The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) has issued a Code Yellow weather warning for snow, hail and ice for Monday and Tuesday. The weather agency has said to expect icy roads as well as hail and snow showers. 

Slippery conditions during Monday morning rush hour in the Netherlands

Though the weather has already been pretty cold for around a week, snow started to fall in many Dutch cities overnight between Sunday and Monday. This meant that during Monday morning’s rush hour, lots of drivers were faced with long queues of traffic and icy roads, causing delays on the way to work. 

According to the ANWB, at around 7.45am there were traffic jams totalling more than 1.100 kilometres across the country, and the average delay on a number of roads had increased from more than half an hour to an hour. The authorities have issued warnings for icy roads for over the next 48 hours. 

KNMI warns Dutch drivers in particular about snow and ice

The KNMI’s Code Yellow warning will be in place for all of Monday and Tuesday and will affect the whole country. Though Wednesday is expected to be less icy, make sure to keep up to date with the latest weather forecasts before making any long journeys. 

The weather agency predicts that frosty weather will freeze roads and cycle paths and could lead to accidents if people do not take care. Their advice is to drive more slowly than you would on a dry, warm day, to give more room for braking and to check the Rijkswaterstaat’s website for updates on the conditions on the roads.