A 22-year-old man died after his car hit the pillar of a bridge in Rotterdam in the early hours of Friday, among a spate of accidents caused by slippery roads following overnight sleet and snow.

The A5 between IJmuiden and the junction at Raasdorp has also been closed in both directions after a lorry jackknifed and hit a safety barrier. Work is ongoing to replace the barrier.

In Lijnden, Noord-Holland, a car ended up in the water and in Houten a car slid off road and overturned. On the A28, a driver crashed into the safety barrier near the slip road to Zeist. No one was hurt in the accidents, local broadcaster RTV Utrecht reported.

The transport ministry’s roads department has warned that wintry showers will persist all day, particularly in the east of the country. On Saturday, localised hailstorms will contribute to treacherous driving conditions.

Gritting lorries will be out in force day and night, the agency said, but warned drivers to be extremely careful.

A code yellow weather warning is in force, except in the Wadden Islands, until Saturday night. The KNMI weather bureau is expecting up three centimetres of snow, with inland areas most likely to see it settling, as temperatures there will be lower than along the coast.

Overnight frost is forecast across most of the country on Saturday evening, with the exception of coastal regions. On Sunday, daytime temperatures are expected to range between 0 and 3°.

“The greatest chance of snow is at night and in the morning,” weather forecaster Johnny Willemsen from Weeronline said. “If snowfall is persistent, it could also remain on the ground during the day on Sunday.”

Looking ahead, next week will be drier and sunnier, and temperatures will continue to hover around freezing. The KNMI long-range forecast does not include any firm predictions heading towards mid-month.