Winter in the Netherlands

Here in Southern Ontario, it is extremely cold with record-breaking snowfalls. We’re not particularly enjoying it! Sounds like the rest of North America is suffering pretty much the same fate. What about The Netherlands? Considering they are substantially farther north than Canadian cities one would expect that they too would be caught in a deep freeze with massive snowstorms. Not typically, although this year they too experienced a cold snap which snarled roadways and wreaked havoc on air travel.

Despite being so much farther north, the Dutch enjoy a much milder, less snowy winter than Canada due to the moderating effects of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -27.4°C on January 27,1942 (Canada’s coldest recorded temperature was -60.6°C in 1911), and the coldest year on record was 1940, with an average temperature of 7°C. As winters have gotten warmer, the past decade has only seen an average of 13 days of snowfall, compared to the historical 20 days. This is an average over the whole country; the coastal areas have far less snow than the interior provinces.

The Dutch are famous for their frozen canals and skating, which is a national sport. The Dutch have some of the best speed skaters in the world and routinely clean up at the Olympics in these sports! As soon as the canals and lakes are frozen solid people come out in droves. It's a very social time, with vendors selling hot drinks and snacks. Recent years have seen fewer natural frozen waterways, causing frustration for many as they have had to move to indoor rinks to enjoy their beloved activity. It’s just not the same, but in the usual Dutch way they make the best of it and still have fun. They also enjoy skiing and snowboarding both in created outdoor areas, or in arenas.

We all, on both sides of the ocean, have a love/hate relationship with winter. The other thing we have in common is the need to feel cozy, with comfort food and hot drinks. Truly gezelligheid.