Storms cause flooding in many parts of Netherlands
Thunderstorms that drew across the Netherlands on Tuesday afternoon and evening caused flooding in many parts of the country, especially in the Rotterdam region. The storms prompted meteorological institute KNMI to issue a code orange weather warning - dangerous weather - for the entire country except the Wadden islands.
The showers were very scattered throughout the country and fell so locally that some places in Utrecht and Zeeland didn't even notice the bad weather, while other places faced flooded streets, NU.nl reports. The A20 was completely closed at Schiedam due to flooding and an accident. Photos on social media show a large pool of rainwater on the highway. Around 10:00 p.m. only two lanes were still closed.
Neighboring municipalities like Ridderkerk and Hellevoetsluis also dealt with flooded streets. The local safety office received 13 reports of flooding in a matter of minutes, according to the newspaper. Most cases involved flooded homes. In Barendrecht a part of a warehouse collapsed under the downpour. No one was injured.
A resident of Terwolde in Gelderland was injured when strong winds blew a tree over onto his house. The fire brigade in Deventer received 40 reports of storm damage in a short period of time. Most of the reports involved fallen trees and damaged cars.
According to the KNMI, some places saw 50 millimeters of rain per hour on Tuesday. Weeronline reports that Milingen aan de Rijn in Gelderland saw the most rain with 72 millimeters - well above the 61 millimeters that falls per month on average. The strongest gust of wind registered at 93.3 kilometers per hour in Ruurlo.
Tuesday was also the first official tropical day of the year. It was 30.7 degrees Celsius in De Bilt at 2:40 p.m. It was also the warmest May 29th since temperature measurements started in the Netherlands in 1901. The previous heat record dates from 1944, when temperatures climbed to 30 degrees exactly in De Bilt.
De enige overgebleven file staat op de #A20 in beide richtingen bij Schiedam. Vanwege een grote plas water zijn er 2 rijstroken dicht. pic.twitter.com/3YVaFgJfMw
— Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinformatie (@RWSverkeersinfo) May 29, 2018
https://twitter.com/vanjar_/status/1001532732885921792
https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_vBuuren/status/1001580255147110401
https://twitter.com/Stefanuzz/status/1001579931577569286
#Ede diverse wateroverlast pic.twitter.com/G9bETeN0pX
— William harthoorn (@William112bnv) May 29, 2018
My rainproof garden! Het regenwater wordt opgevangen in de #wadi en zakt langzaam in de bodem. Het voorkomt overbelasting van het riool en dat schoon regenwater naar de rioolzuivering gaat. #hoosbui #wateroverlast #stopdeverstening #rainproof #diy #waterberging #waterindetuin pic.twitter.com/ABew72qpwi
— Silke van der Meer (@Silke_vd_Meer) May 29, 2018
74mm in #Hellevoetsluis met op dit moment matige tot zware regen. In Tinte viel 45mm. Geef uw waarnemingen maar door met plaatsnaam! #wateroverlast pic.twitter.com/QpmuwsITXm
— Meteo Voorne Aan Zee (@MeteoVoorne) May 29, 2018
🚨 Wolkbreuk boven #Ede zorgt voor wateroverlast https://t.co/gQUNoJjamq 112Ede pic.twitter.com/CDQxcFgXNF
— 112Ede (@112Ede) May 29, 2018
Wie in #Schiedam heeft er wateroverlast? We hopen dat het meevalt. Sterkte allemaal.https://t.co/rIAUzZcqRa pic.twitter.com/17zUleG1py
— De Schiedammer (@Schiedams) May 29, 2018