Train problems as Storm Dudley advances; 130 km/h gusts expected Friday

The third official storm of this year, Storm Dudley, caused damage in various places in the Netherlands on Wednesday night. Already by 8 p.m., 100 km/h gusts were measured in IJmuiden and on the Houtribdijk, which separates the Markermeer and IJsselmeer. The stormy weather will also cause some disruption on the train tracks on Thursday. Storm Eunice will hit the Netherlands on Friday.

Fewer intercity trains are running between Zaandam and Alkmaar on the Amsterdam-Schagen route due to the weather. A tree on the track disrupted train traffic between Oldenzaal and Bad Bentheim on the route between Hengelo and Bielefeld in Germany. Buses are running.

Dudley is also causing problems on the roads. There's a tree on the parallel road of the A12 toward The Hague at the Lunetten junction. Rijkswaterstaat said the wind is still too strong to remove the tree but expects it can do it after the morning rush hour. Until then, the road will remain closed there. Traffic can continue on the main highway and turn at the Meern. 

According to the ANWB, there is a 4-kilometer traffic jam between Bunnik and the Lunetten junction due to the situation. 

Road stewards are removing fallen branches from the road in various parts of the country. This usually does not disrupt traffic, according to Rijkswaterstaat, but two exits in the north of the country are closed due to fallen trees - the Dronrijp exit on A31 towards Leeuwarden and the Hoogezand exit on the A7 towards Groningen. 

In Maasluis, a tree blew onto a moving car on Rozenlaan. Firefighters had to free the two occupants from the vehicle. Emergency services took them to the hospital with injuries. In Oudkarspel, Noord-Holland, a car ended up in the ditch along Westelijke Randweg due to the strong wind. The driver was injured but did not have to go to the hospital, according to NH Nieuws. 

A tree fell onto a parked car on Han Stijkelplein in The Hague. Regional news site Regio 15 reported that no one got hurt. Trees also toppled in other places in The Hague. In Alphen aan de Rijn, a roof edge blew loose on the Wintererf. The fire brigade secured the roof.

FlevoWegen announced that the Markewaarddijk between Lelystad and Enkhuizen will be closed for trucks and vehicles with trailers until at least Thursday morning due to the increasingly strong wind. Omroep Flevoland reports that a facade panel from a house blew free in Lelystad, and the fire brigade in Dronten got deployed to deal with solar panels that blew free from a roof.

On the A12, the connecting road from Utrecht to the A4 and the A13 toward Rotterdam had to be closed due to storm damage. A waste container's top cover blew off. Traffic from Utrecht to the A4 or A13 was redirected on the A4 towards Amsterdam, turning around at Leidschendam.

Eunice expected to bring 130 km/h gusts on Friday

Meteorological institute KNMI extended a code yellow warning covering all provinces except Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, Limburg, and the IJsselmeer area until 3 p.m. on Thursday. A new code yellow warning covers the entire country from 2:00 p.m. on Friday, as storm Eunice arrives in the Netherlands.

The fourth storm of the year is expected to bringing gusts of up to 130 kilometers per hour. "This can cause damage and danger from falling trees and flying objects," the KNMI warned. The harshest wind gusts are expected along the coast and at the north of the IJsselmeer. Elsewhere, strong gales ranging from 90-120 km/h are likely, the KNMI reported.

Due to the stormy weather, extra recovery vehicles are stationed on wind-sensitive bridges like the Haringvliet bridge, the Moerdijk bridge, and the Van Brienenoord bridge. The recovery companies can intervene immediately if problems arise on those bridges.

Infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat also issued warnings for Storms Dudley and Eunice over the coming days. Traffic throughout the country must take strong wind and stormy weather into account on Thursday and Friday, the agency said.