December weather forecast predicts higher chance of snowy Dutch Christmas
By Simone Jacobs
The final month of the year has kicked off with some mild winter weather that has everyone wondering whether the Netherlands stands any chance of having a snowy white Christmas. While it is not very likely that this Christmas will be full of snow, there is a higher chance than usual, based on weather forecasts for December.
Higher chance of a white Christmas in the Netherlands this year
As we draw nearer to the festive season, the question is asked time and time again: will the Netherlands have a white Christmas this year? In a long-term forecast for December, Weeronline has estimated that there is a 10 to 15 percent chance that the country will have a white Christmas, higher than the usual 7 percent.
To be considered a white Christmas, a full cover of snow without grass showing must be measured at the measuring station in De Bilt for both Christmas Days (December 25 and 26). This has only occurred eight times since 1903, the most recent of which was in 2010.
Mild winter weather in December could give way to snow
According to Weeronline, the first half of December will not see typical winter weather due to strong southerly and southwesterly wind which brings milder temperatures. While the Netherlands usually sees maximum daytime temperatures of 7 degrees celsius, this year the mercury could rise to highs of 10 degrees.
The weather forecast is more uncertain for the second half of the month. At the time of writing, the temperatures are expected to drop slightly compared to the beginning of the month and more wintry showers are possible, increasing the chance slightly for a white Christmas.
Even though there is a higher chance than usual that the Netherlands will have snow this festive season, Weeronline cautions that “the chances of another green Christmas are clearly greater, but you can still dream of a white Christmas”.
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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