Netherlands Breaks Cold Records, Switzerland’s Spring on Hold Due to Snow & Frost
After a mild start to April, it seems the Netherlands has been dropped back into winter. Tuesday night brought frost to large parts of the country, and many places across the Netherlands measured the coldest temperatures in decades, according to Weerplaza.
Heino and Achterhoek had the coldest minimum temps on April 19th since 1991 with temperatures of -3.9 and -3.6 degrees Celsius respectively. Eindhoven measured its coldest April 19th minimum in 38 years with -2.4 degrees. On the ground Heino measured -6.4 degrees and Twente -8.6 degrees – coldest its been on April 19th in 26 years.
Weerplaza expects minimum temperatures tonight to again drop to below freezing, both on the ground and on observable height – about half a meter above the ground. Minimum temperatures will range from -1 to -4 degrees. On the ground temperatures may drop to -8 degrees. Weerplaza expects that tonight will again break some cold records.
Janene Pieters
NL Times
Meanwhile…..
Winter is experiencing a comeback in Switzerland where temperatures plunged as low as -5 overnight.
Frost was widespread on Thursday morning, causing headaches for farmers and gardeners. It followed snowfalls across much of the country on Wednesday.
In Reconvilier in the canton of Bern a low of -5.8C was measured, with -5.3C recorded in Visp in the Rhone valley, 20 Minuten reported.
It quoted MeteoNews as saying it was the coldest night in the second half of April for 20 years in the Rhone valley.
In the central plateau a wind prevented temperatures from falling quite so low, but they were still around -1 to -4, sinking as low as -5 at above 600 metres altitude, MeteoNews said.
Forecasters expect the frost to continue for several nights, putting plants and crops at risk.
After very mild weather in March and April many plants are already beginning to blossom, making them vulnerable to frost damage.
The Jardin Suisse horticultural association warned that fruit trees are at particular risk, but plants grown on the balcony – geraniums, basil or tomatoes – also need to be covered up, according to a separate 20 Minuten report.
Jardin Suisse says frost-sensitive plants should either be taken indoors or else moved closer to the house and placed so that they are not directly on the ground.
Plants that are already in the ground should be covered up.
The Local ch
