Thick mist caused transport problems across the Netherlands on Monday morning; a spokesperson from the Dutch Automobile Association (ANWB) says traffic jams were more than twice their normal length and Schiphol Airport was forced to cancel dozens of flights.

A Schiphol spokesperson says passengers should expect delays and further cancellations as the mist will likely get worse later today and is also affecting other European countries. Meteorologists say the mist won’t lift until late Tuesday morning.

The morning rush hour started earlier than normal and looks as though it will last longer; many people left home earlier and had to reduce their speed on the motorways as visibility was far less than 50 metres in many places. Some motorists also had to contend with icy roads and bridges as the mist had frozen in many places. At 8 o’clock this morning, there were around 400 kilometres of traffic jams; normal for a Monday morning is about 200 kilometres.

(jric/ae)

©Radio Netherlands Worldwide