Snow will continue to fall in the south and south-east of the Netherlands on Saturday, but elsewhere it will be dry with some sunny spells, weather forecasters say.

The KNMI weather bureau has ended its code amber weather warning for the north, but a code yellow warning remains in place for the entire country. Roads evereywhere are “treacherously slippery”, a spokesman for the highways department told RTL Nieuws.

A number of roads in Groningen province remain closed because of Friday’s heavy snow, which has drifted in places, causing problems for traffic. Regional bus company Qbuzz has cancelled morning services in many areas, although they are due to resume in Drenthe on Saturday morning.

The transport ministry’s roads department has also enacted its “cold protocol”, which means extra tow trucks are on duty to make sure motorists who become stuck can be helped as quickly as possible.

Below zero

Saturday is set to be very chilly. Daytime temperatures will reach no higher than freezing point in Zeeland and up to -4° in the north and north-east, according to weather bureau Weeronline.

Saturday night will be clear and dry, with a light easterly breeze and temperatures ranging from -2° in Zeeland to -8° in the north and north-east. But overnight the temperature will drop still further, to as much as -13° in places, Weeronline said.

Sunday will be sunny and cold, with high cloud moving in later in the day. It will remain chilly, from around 1° in Zeeland to -3° in the north-east.

The heavy overnight frost on Saturday means that artificial outdoor rinks can open for skating in some places, but Weeronline warns that open water is still too dangerous. “One night of heavy frost is not enough to give sufficient ice cover,” a spokesman said.

Weather forecasters expect a slight thaw to kick in from Monday.