The snow set to fall over much of the country on Thursday evening and night will mainly affect eastern areas, weather forecasters said on Thursday.

In particular the Veluwe heathland region, Limburg, Twente and the Achterhoek may get between five and 10 centimetres of snow. However, most of it will thaw quickly on Friday as more sleet and rain blankets the country.

Friday’s sleet will be accompanied by storm force winds later in the day and in coastal areas the north-westerly gales could reach 100 kph, according to Weeronline.

The combination of strong winds and spring tides will raise the water level along the entire Dutch coast and some storm barriers may be closed as a precaution, website Nu.nl said.

The frost forecast earlier for the weekend is now unlikely to kick in until Monday when it will be dry and chilly, with some sunny spells. The temperature could be as low as -5 degrees in places.

There will be frost at night for most of the week and this could make outdoor skating on shallow waters a possibility, Weeronline said.