Powerful winds trigger Code Yellow alerts for Sunday

Dutch meteorological institute KNMI issued several Code Yellow weather warnings on Sunday due to strong wind gusts which could reach 100 kilometers per hour. The warning times vary from the morning into the evening, and cover the entire country except Groningen, Drenthe, and Overijssel. The KNMI warns the wind gusts could disrupt traffic and outdoor activities.

The initial warning period starts earlier in the day, with the coastal provinces of Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, and Zeeland all on alert from 8 a.m. The first period of heavy wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour is expected to continue for three hours in the northern coastal area, and six hours in the southwestern coastal region.

Further inland, the winds will pick up to warning levels in the central, southern, and southeastern provinces by 1 p.m., the KNMI estimated. This will last anywhere from two to four hours.

“Over the course of the afternoon the wind will turn northwest, with a chance of heavy gusts at the coast,” the KNMI said. On Sunday evening, there will be heavy wind gusts again and showers across most of the country. Wind speeds will reach up to 80 kilometers per hour in the majority of provinces covered by the alert, but this could top out at 100 kilometers per hour along the coast.

The second Code Yellow alert will be in effect from 6 p.m., the KNMI announced. It will mainly last until 3 a.m. on Monday. The alert could be called off three hours earlier in Gelderland, Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Utrecht.

Overnight, the winds will gradually decrease in strength as the temperature cools down to four degrees in some areas, and close to freezing in others. One bright spot in the forecast is the mostly dry and partly cloudy Monday predicted by the KNMI. Though winds will likely still be moderate, “The sun will appear more and more, with a maximum of about 8°C. Clouds will increase again in the evening.”