The north is on high alert this morning, with the RIVM releasing a code red weather warning for deadly “black ice”, which has already paralysed roads and public transport.
Early this morning, residents of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe were urged to stay indoors as extreme icy conditions affected the region.
When it rains in negative temperatures, the droplets immediately freeze on the ground and continue to freeze, turning highways, pavements, and fietspads into sheets of black ice. Even gritting can’t do much here.
According to NOS, the result is a rare code red weather warning, due to dangerous road accidents and public transport being brought to a complete halt.
No trains or buses
All train and bus platforms up north are now deserted.
There will be no trains to or from the provinces of Drenthe, Groningen, and Friesland until 11 AM today.
The NS trains that depart from the Randstad and Gelderland for these provinces will turn around in Zwolle.
Bus services follow suit, as Qbuzz announced last night that there will be no buses in Drenthe, Groningen, and Friesland until 10:30 AM.
Road accidents on the rise
The danger of black ice has led to many accidents on the A6 and A28. Vehicles have skidded off the road, some ending up in ditches or worse.
#Heftige 😱 beelden vanaf de #A7 net nabij #Hoorn en #zwaag. Stevige ijzel zorgt voor diverse ongelukken. Weginspecteur Stefan kreeg deze beelden van een volger en deelde het. Later is te zien hoe glad het wegdek echt is! #ijzel #meteoweer #gevaarlijk #heftig #codeoranje pic.twitter.com/bR0IfBAPCs
— Meteoweer (@MeteoweerNL) February 4, 2026
The A28 towards Groningen was closed between Vries and Eelde at around 7 AM.
Bianca Damink of the ANWB’s traffic department told NOS that extremely slippery conditions are making it difficult for emergency services to reach accident sites.
The number of traffic accidents reinforces the advice: stay home.
Essential services are affected too
The slippery conditions have rippled through daily life.
Hospitals cancelled morning appointments and surgeries to prevent patients from getting into an accident on the way to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the regional waste management company Omrin temporarily halted its operations after several of its garbage trucks were involved in road accidents.
With the last code red dating back to 2023, this is a rare and serious warning. We urge all our readers to stay home and stay safe — black ice is simply not a risk worth taking.
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