Driving across the IJsselmeer and from Texel by helicopter: real winter in pictures

The winter of 1939 is one of those old-fashioned, freezing winters. Bea Knoop-Cornwall previously told NH that it was ‘very, very cold’. “It had snowed a lot. We could go on the IJsselmeer with cars. And no boat could go through the water anymore, so we went ice sailing.”

Knoop-Cornwall says that winter lasts for weeks at that time. The sea surf freezes at Zandvoort. “That was great. That real winter weather is nice. Not that drizzly. Unfortunately, that almost doesn’t happen anymore.”

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One of the best-known severe winters is that of 1963. According to the KNMI, it freezes every day for three months in a row in most places. In January and February, an average temperature of -3.1 degrees is measured in De Bilt, while +2.6 degrees is normal at the time.

Not only will the toughest Elfstedentocht ever be held, history will also be written in our province. 67-year-old NH weatherman Jan Visser remembers it well: “The ice was 40 centimeters thick. In March we drove over the IJsselmeer in cars. The entire army could cross it.”

On Texel it creates almost unthinkable situations for the younger generation. Due to the ice, the ferry between Den Helder and Texel can no longer sail, so patients have to stay on the island by helicopter be flown to the hospital in Den Helder. Door de Ridder was heavily pregnant at the time: “I just lay flat on the ground of the helicopter. It made a lot of noise.”

However, it is not the case that heavy winters only occurred last century. In 2010 it was the coldest winter since 1996. According to Visser, there is something that makes that winter rarer: the enormous amount of snow. According to the KNMI, that year has the largest number of days with snow cover since 1979.

On December 17 and 18, 2010, a total of 10 to more than 30 centimeters of snow will fall, especially in the north of North Holland. Locally, in some places there is a pack of up to 40 centimeters. According to Visser, the chance that we will have such cold, icy and snowy winters is becoming increasingly smaller. Climate change has made it rare. According to the weatherman, these are really few days now, and we are happy if we can skate a few days a year. Yet he does not give up hope: “I am not ruling anything out, it is definitely part of it again!”