Colder air is set to arrive in the Netherlands as the holidays approach, but the chance of a white Christmas is still very limited, according to weather bureau Weeronline.

The weather service estimates the likelihood of snow over the festive period at just 10% to 15% – and that is referring to snowflakes, not proper snow cover.

Warmer southerly winds still dominate the weather patterns at the moment but Weeronline says a shift to noticeably cooler conditions is on the way.

The temperature is normally around 6° by the end of December, and Weeronline puts the chance of below-average conditions at 35%.

The KNMI weather bureau is equally pessimistic and says the chance of higher than average temperatures by the end of the month is 50%.

For an official white Christmas, a continuous snow cover must be present in De Bilt weather station at 9 am on both Christmas Day and December 26.  The last official white Christmas was in 2010, when five centimetres of snow lay on the ground in De Bilt.