Wintry showers on the cards as Storm Goretti hits the Netherlands
By Simone Jacobs
While it looked like the snow chaos in the Netherlands was finally dying down, more wintry conditions are set to arrive on Friday, January 9, with Storm Goretti. Heavy rain, wind and possibly more snow are expected as we head into the weekend.
Storm Goretti to bring heavy rain and snow in the Netherlands
The first week of the year has seen snow wreak havoc on Dutch transport. After flight cancellations, public transport disruptions and traffic congestion for most of the week, it seems to have eased a bit on Thursday, with the day expected to remain mostly dry with the occasional sunshine and local showers.
However, Storm Goretti is set to reach the Netherlands on Thursday evening. Weerplaza predicts that it is a “strong depression bringing heavy precipitation and mild air," reports AD.
"That rain will make many residential areas slippery,” Weeronline meteorologist Matthijs van der Linden told NU.nl. “The snow that has been driven in forms a hard layer, and rain on top of that makes it treacherous. Braking or swerving can easily cause you to overshoot."
During the night and into Friday, the rain is more likely to turn into snow, with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) predicting up to 15 centimetres of snowfall, particularly in northern areas.
A code yellow is still in effect for the whole country until Saturday morning, but KNMI has upgraded the weather warning to a code orange for the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. The code orange will apply on Friday, January 9, from 12am to 12pm.
Dutch weekend to see snow showers and freezing temps
The winter weather is not ending soon, though. Saturday will see more snow showers and the mercury will drop to a very chilly -10 degrees celsius during the night into Sunday.
Sunday is expected to be dry and cold, according to Weeronline. Temperatures could even drop below -10 degrees with a wind chill of -20 degrees, so if you decide to venture outside, remember to wrap up warm.
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more