Snow will move into western parts of the Netherlands towards the end of Friday morning, bringing potentially dangerous driving conditions for the evening rush hour.

The west and southwest could be blanketed by several centimetres of snow by the afternoon, which is expected to settle on the frozen ground. The snow showers will move to the east in the evening but may well have turned into rain or sleet by that time.

Airline KLM has cancelled 26 return flights because of the forecast snow, saying there is very little runway capacity at Schiphol airport. Passengers have been informed and rebooked.

The KNMI weather bureau says conditions will remain mixed for the next few days, with some sunny spells and snow flurries. Temperatures will dip to below freezing at night.