Photography

The Three Star Winter of ’26

by Frans Blok · Published 1. March 2026 · Updated 3. March 2026

In the past, I’ve often reviewed winters on this blog. With a focus on the photographic aspects of those winters, the fresh blankets of snow that give the city a completely different look. But in recent years, there hasn’t been much to review.

Falling snow on Westersingel in Rotterdam, January 2026 — Snowstorm on the Westersingel

Holiday

The last snowfall of any significance was in February 2021. It created a nice thick blanket of snow, which lasted well over a week. And it was even possible to skate on natural ice. That winter period felt like a kind of holiday in the otherwise gloomy covid period.

Museum Park in Rotterdam with the Depot building of the Boymans museum during a severe snowstorm — Dancing snowflakes in Museumpark

Bad conditions for traffic because of a snowstorm, on Vasteland in Rotterdam — Code Red on the Vasteland

Unsettled

But after that, winters were mostly unsettled, grey and slushy. Other parts of the country, further east and north, occasionally turned white. But here in the southwest, the temperature consistently hovered just above freezing. The weather was certainly bleak and unpleasant, but not quite cold enough to be beautiful.

Leuvehaven harbour with the Zadkine sculpture during a snow storm in the winter of 2026 — Ice on Leuvehaven

White

Fortunately, the winter of ’25/’26 tried a bit harder. Two freezing cold but cloudless, and therefore snowless, Christmas days were the prelude. And just after New Year’s Eve, the yellow, orange, and red code warnings were all over the place. Finally, Rotterdam turned white again. Time to get out with the camera and take some winter wonderland photos; the next opportunity might well be in the early thirties.

Snow-covered bicycles on a winterday at Lijnbaan shopping street in Rotterdam — Tranquility on the Lijnbaan

The illuminated windows of brasserie Dudok in Rotterdam on a winter day after a heavy snowstorm — Ambiance on Westewagenstraat

Code Red

Those winter wonderland photos actually fall into three categories. For convenience, I’ll call them: Code Red, Tranquil City, and Winter Sun. The Code Red photos were taken in the middle of a raging snowstorm, with limited visibility and snowflakes dancing everywhere. Taking such photos is a challenge, because you don’t want to expose your camera to too much moisture and cold. And a single snowflake on the lens can ruin an entire photo series. But that’s what makes the photos created under such harsh conditions all the more unique.

Coolsingel boulevard in Rotterdam covered with snow on a rare wintery day — A white Coolsingel

Tranquility

On the tranquil city photos, the snow has stopped. The city is covered in a fresh blanket of snow, through which pedestrians, cyclists, and cars struggle to make their way. And those who don’t really need to go out stay home, so that usually busy places are practically deserted. You can almost hear the crunch of snow under your feet when you look at those photos.

The Old Harbour, Willems Bridge and the White House in Rotterdam in wintery conditions — Potential Christmas card: the Oude Haven

Saint Lawrence Church and the Erasmus statue on a winter day in January 2026 — Erasmus on a white church square

Winter sun

In the third phase, the sun has broken through. When that happens, often the snow melts like, well, snow in the sun, but in early January, that sun wasn’t yet very powerful. Or, well, the sun always has roughly the same amount of power, of course, but because of the low angle relative to the Earth’s surface, the same amount of solar radiation has to be distributed over a larger area. Anyway, when the sun shines, everything looks better, and that also applies to a snow-covered city.

The Marten Toonder monument in Rotterdam covered with snow in the winter of 2026 — Marten Toonder’s characters covered with snow

Thaw

In retrospect, it didn’t last very long. On January 12th, the thaw set in, and the fun was over. At least in our part of the country. For weeks, the boundary between warm and cold air was fairly consistent near Zwolle. While people here in Rotterdam had their first drinks out on a terrace, Groningen was hit with one snowstorm after another, and with freezing rain as well. At one point, in the north, people could even skate in the streets; it was 1979 all over again. But on average, the winter was even warmer than normal.

The snow-covered quay of Rijnhaven harbour near museum Fenix on a sunny winter day — White quay, blue sky

The Quay of Maashaven harbour at Rotterdam-Katendrecht covered with snow on a sunny winter day — Winter sun on Katendrecht

Spring

Now that meteorological spring has arrived on March 1st, I don’t really expect a return of King Winter. In Dutch, there are some expressions warning for snow in March and April, but those sayings predate climate change. And If I’m wrong, I can always add an encore to this blog post, but for now I’d like to conclude this review by awarding three stars to the winter of 2025/2026.