The KNMI has issued a code red weather alarm for Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe as widespread freezing rain has created extremely dangerous conditions across the northern Netherlands. The warning, originally set to expire at 10:00, has been extended to 14:00 in Groningen and 12:00 in Friesland and Drenthe. Public life in the region has effectively ground to a halt, with schools closed, hospitals cancelling operations, and all trains and buses suspended.
NL-Alert sent as conditions deteriorate
Around 06:30 on Wednesday morning, authorities sent an NL-Alert to mobile phones in the northern provinces warning of extreme weather conditions. The message urged residents to stay indoors and only call 112 in life-threatening situations.
The KNMI upgraded the warning from code orange to code red overnight after conditions proved worse than initially forecast. Code red, the highest weather warning level, is only issued when weather poses a serious threat to society. The last time code red was issued for freezing rain was February 2021.
Rijkswaterstaat reported "extreem veel ongelukken" on roads across the north. The ANWB echoed this, saying "het regent ongelukken" (it's raining accidents). The situation became so severe that even gritting trucks in Friesland could no longer safely operate, with Rijkswaterstaat's regional coordinator confirming that salt spreaders were unable to go out.
No trains or buses in the north
ProRail suspended all train services north of Zwolle until at least 12:00, later extended due to the prolonged code red. The rail operator explained that while trains themselves could run, it was impossible to get staff to the trains safely. "Machinists, emergency services and contractors cannot get on the road," ProRail stated. "This makes it impossible to run trains."
NS trains from the Randstad and Gelderland heading north are turning around at Zwolle. Arriva, which operates regional services in the north, has also suspended all trains until 13:00.
Bus operator Qbuzz cancelled all services in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe from Tuesday evening and will not resume until at least 15:30. The company cited the safety of drivers and passengers as the primary concern.
Photo Credits: Åsmund Arup Seip
Hospitals cancel appointments and operations
Multiple hospitals across the northern provinces have cancelled all scheduled appointments and operations for Wednesday morning.
The UMCG in Groningen announced it would provide only emergency care until 12:00, cancelling all planned appointments, treatments and operations. The hospital urged patients not to call, saying staff would contact them to reschedule. The same message came from the Martini Ziekenhuis in Groningen, the Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis in Assen, and the Treant hospitals in Emmen and Hoogeveen.
Frisius MC cancelled operations at all its locations in Leeuwarden, Heerenveen and Harlingen until midday. The OZG hospital group cancelled all appointments for the entire day across its locations in Scheemda, Delfzijl, Winschoten and Groningen.
All planned ambulance transports in the north have also been cancelled. Ambulances will only respond to life-threatening emergencies, with the regional dispatch centre warning of longer response times due to road conditions.
Schools and universities closed
Most primary and secondary schools in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe remained closed on Wednesday. Some school groups, including Stichting Talent in Westerveld and Stichting Baasis in Tynaarlo, closed for the entire day.
The University of Groningen kept its buildings closed until 10:30. Hanze University of Applied Sciences cancelled all practical lessons and exams on location for the day, with theory lessons moved online where possible. NHL Stenden, with locations in Leeuwarden, Emmen and Groningen, also remained closed until at least 12:00.
Courts, government buildings and services shut
The courts in Groningen, Assen and Leeuwarden remained closed until at least 12:00, with only emergency hearings proceeding online where possible. The provincial government of Groningen cancelled Wednesday's meeting of the Provincial States entirely.
Municipal buildings across the region stayed closed, including all locations in the city of Groningen until 13:00. Libraries, swimming pools, waste collection centres and social services offices also remained shut.
PostNL and DHL suspended all deliveries in the northern provinces. "As long as code red is in force, our employees stay inside. Their safety comes first," a PostNL spokesperson said. Some supermarkets opened late or not at all, with empty shelves reported in Leeuwarden due to staff being unable to reach stores safely.
Multiple accidents overnight
The overnight period saw numerous accidents across the region. On the A28 near Eelde, a truck with trailer jackknifed around 02:30, forcing closure of the road toward Groningen. Two people were injured in a rear-end collision on the A28 near Haren earlier in the evening.
On the A6 near Scharsterbrug, a gritting truck itself slid off the road and hit the central barrier. Near Nagele in northern Flevoland, a driver lost control and ended up in a ditch. At Eesveen near the provincial border, another car slid into the water, though the driver escaped uninjured.
The province of Groningen reported that even their inspection vehicles could only manage 45 km/h on provincial roads, which officials described as "not really passable."
Ice to melt slowly through the day
The KNMI expects the ice layer to melt gradually through Wednesday as temperatures slowly rise above freezing. However, the process will be slow, particularly in the northeast where temperatures may stay at or just below zero for most of the day.
Even after the code red warning is lifted, conditions will remain dangerous. The ice that has formed is difficult to remove with salt, and residents are warned that pavements and side streets, which have not been gritted, may remain treacherous throughout the day.
In Groningen province, renewed freezing of wet road surfaces is possible from late afternoon. A code yellow warning for slippery conditions will remain in effect until Thursday afternoon.
In the rest of the Netherlands, conditions have improved. Code orange in Overijssel and Flevoland was downgraded to code yellow by 06:00, and the warning for Noord-Holland has been lifted entirely.
