Netherlands experiences first national ice day in over two years

Today marked the first national ice day in the Netherlands after 762 days. An ice day is when the temperature in De Bilt remains below zero all day.

The maximum temperature there was -0.7 degrees Celsius today. This long period without ice days is a record, with the last ice day in De Bilt occurring on December 17, 2022.

The previous record was 755 days between 1974 and 1976. More recently, there was a period of 744 consecutive days without an ice day from January 25, 2019, to February 6, 2021.

Ice days are becoming increasingly rare in the Netherlands due to global warming, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The country is now more than 2 degrees Celsius warmer than a century ago, leading to more heatwaves in the summer and fewer cold periods in the winter.

Currently, De Bilt experiences an average of just over six ice days per year, compared to over nine a century ago.

Source: NOS

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