Temperatures dropped to minus 7C in some parts of the Netherlands overnight on the coldest night of the winter so far.

Widespread frost and misty patches gripped much of the country in the morning as nearly all regions were below freezing at dawn. The night temperature at De Bilt was minus 6.1C.

Forecasters said the temperature would rise to around 2C on Wednesday before freezing again overnight, but the outlook for Christmas is uncertain.

Conditions are set to be warmer on Thursday, with the thermometer climbing to 8C in the evening, with light rain in the northern half of the country. The rain and mild conditions are set to continue into Friday.

Weeronline.nl did not rule out the chance of a white Christmas, but the convergence of warm and cold fronts makes Saturday’s weather hard to predict. ‘Snow is still among the possibilities, but it can just as well be mild with rain,’ the weather site said.