Whirlwind injures 4 in Barendrecht; More strong winds today

A whirlwind caused significant damage to around four streets in Barendrecht, Zuid-Holland, during the early hours of Thursday morning. Four people got hurt, one of whom had to go to the hospital, a spokesperson for the local security region said to NU.nl.

The whirlwind hit the residential neighborhood of Ter Leede. Photos show destroyed garden sheds, blown-away trampolines, and trees toppled onto cars. "Roof tiles were blown off several houses. The fire brigade is making an inventory of where the damage is the greatest," said the spokesperson. 

Strong winds also blew down trees along the A50 highway near Heerde in Gelderland. The trees ended up on the hard shoulder and insertion lane, according to NU.nl.

More strong winds are expected throughout the Netherlands on Thursday. Meteorological institute KNMI has a code yellow warning in place for the entire Netherlands until 9:00 a.m. Then the winds should die down a bit before another code yellow takes effect at noon. Gusts between 75 and 90 kilometers per hour are expected, with possible peaks hitting 100 km/h, according to the KNMI.

The winds will likely cause some nuisance, but no actual storm is expected, Weerplaza told NU.nl. "Perhaps wind force 9 is possible locally on the coast for a short time, but for a full storm that must also happen inland and last at least an hour. Based on the models, we are not taking this into account for the time being."

The weather will be a mix of sunshine and clouds with showers. Maximums will be around 12 degrees.