This winter (December, January, and February) was mild with an average temperature of 4.5°C compared to a long-term average of 3.9°C. This was due to the very mild December, where the average temperature was nearly 2 degrees warmer than normal (6.1°C vs. 4.2°C normal). We counted 29 frost days and 2 ice days in De Bilt. With a national average of 195 hours of sunshine compared to a long-term average of 217 hours, the winter was on the gloomy side. There was snow and ice, and we experienced high spring temperatures.
Very Gloomy December
December was warm but very gloomy. Between December 9 and 19, there was even an eleven-day period without sunshine in De Bilt. That hadnt happened since 1990. In December, the sun shone for an average of only 29 hours nationwide compared to a long-term average of 58 hours. This month had an average of 18 sunless days across the country.
January was Wet and Occasionally Wintry
With 3.4°C against a long-term average of 3.6°C, the temperature in January did not deviate much. The month experienced erratic temperature fluctuations, starting with a mix of mild, wet, and stormy days and quite cold days with wintry showers and frost at night. In the middle of the month, we encountered a cold air stream where the only two ice days (temperatures below freezing during the day) were recorded in De Bilt. January also saw a lot of (dense) fog.
February with Two Faces
February also hardly deviated from the long-term average, with an average of 4.0°C compared to normal 3.9°C. For a long time, it seemed like the month would end cold. We encountered cold and wet weather, with snow in the north. On February 18, the lowest temperature of the winter was recorded at Twenthe Airport at -8.8°C. Later in the month, we faced a remarkable weather event: from the biting east wind, cold, and a snow cover in the north to a spring temperature. In De Bilt, it reached 17.9°C, a jump of no less than 14.6°C. Such a jump occurs on average only once in about 30 winters, quite exceptional indeed. In Woensdrecht, on February 21, the highest temperature of the winter was reached at 19.3°C.
29 Frost Days and 2 Ice Days
This winter, De Bilt recorded 29 frost days (days when the minimum temperature is below freezing): 3 in December, 19 in January, and 11 in February. This is less than the long-term average of 35 frost days. De Bilt also counted two ice days (days when the temperature does not rise above freezing all day), both in January; normally, there are 6.
Warnings for Snow and Ice
On January 8 and 9, 2 to 5 cm of snow fell in the southeast. In the Limburg hills, locally 10 to 15 cm fell. In North Brabant and Limburg, orange code was issued for snow on January 9. In the hills, the snow remained until about January 14. On the morning of January 11, the KNMI issued an orange code for slippery conditions due to ice in Friesland and Groningen. From February 10 to 12, a low-pressure area over our country brought cold and wet weather, with a lot of snow in the north.