Freezing temperatures, snow and ice are set to hit the Netherlands by the end of this week, weather forecasters said on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday night frosts and snow will cover much of the country, particularly the south and east, according to weather bureau Weerplaza.

NOS weatherman Gerrit Hiemstra said on Twitter he expects between 5 centimetres to 10 centimetres of snow could fall in Limburg.

From Monday, a ridge of high pressure will reduce the risk of snow and there will be some sunshine. The wind will move to the south east, bringing in colder air and blue skies.

Weerplaza’s computer programme to model how ice develops is forecasting up to eight centimetres of ice in places, making outdoor skating a real possibility on shallow lakes.

There is a 40% to 50% chance of temperatures remaining below zero during the day, weather forecaster Raymond Klaassen said. ‘We are going to get serious cold weather and that means a serious winter,’ he told the AD.

The KNMI’s long range forecast also predicts dry, cold weather well into next week.

Winterliefhebbers opgelet! De #pluim voor volgende week ziet er goed uit. Die gaan we de komende dagen goed volgen! pic.twitter.com/3UCxCT3Z86

— Gerrit Hiemstra (@GerritHiemstra) January 10, 2017