Frost is likely to hit eastern parts of the Netherlands for the fourth night in a row tonight, and may run into a fifth night on Friday, weather forecasters say.

Light frosts have been recorded at the Eelde weather station in Drenthe for the past three nights and, forecasters say, this is extremely rare for the time of year. The chilly evenings are due to cold air moving down from the north.

During Friday and at the weekend it will again be a mixture of cloud and sunny spells, but it will be warmer during the day. Monday will be warmer still, with a chance of rain, the KNMI weather bureau said.

The long-range forecast up to the end of May is for plenty of sunshine and temperatures above average for the time of year.