Storm Eunice makes landfall: 150 km/h gusts possible, Warnings to stay indoors
The third winter storm of the year reached the coast of the Netherlands on Friday afternoon, bringing strong gusts of wind that measured as high as 123 km/h near Scheveningen around 2:50 p.m. The storm was continuing to impact operations at Schiphol Airport, where hundreds of flights were cancelled, and on the country’s rail routes. However, both Schiphol and national railway NS were cautiously optimistic about gradually returning to a more normal timetable on Saturday.
Gusts could even reach up to 150 km/h at the northern coast in the most extreme situations between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., said Jaco van Wezel from weather website Weeronline. “Very strong gusts of wind can easily damage buildings and topple trees. Traffic will also be severely disrupted. Do not go out with a trailer or an empty truck,” Van Wezel said. “Be extra careful on bridges, dikes, and in open plains. It is even better not to go out on the road at all this afternoon and tonight.”
Rijkswaterstaat advised motorists not to take to the roads on Friday afternoon where a Code Red warning was issued due to the storm. The alert was issued for Flevoland, Friesland, Noord-Holland, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland. “The advice is not to drive in these provinces," the infrastructure agency said on Twitter. "Be aware of very strong wind gusts and unexpected situations on the road."
The red warning level also applies to the IJsselmeer area and the Wadden Islands. All other provinces have a Code Orange warning, except Limburg which remained at the less intense Code Yellow level. For the orange regions, Rijkswaterstaat also called on people to stay home if it is not strictly necessary to leave. "This advice also applies expressly to motorists with a trailer, freight traffic and holiday traffic because of the spring break in the northern provinces."
The agency is scaling up because of Eunice, and has extra people working in the traffic control centers. There are also more road stewards on standby and there are extra recovery companies at wind-sensitive places, such as the Haringvliet, Moerdijk, and Van Brienenoord bridges to remove stalled trucks if necessary.
Hundreds of flights cancelled
Meanwhile, about 350 flights were cancelled at Schiphol Airport, and all remaining flights at Rotterdam The Hague Airport were delayed until later in the day. KLM, which scrapped 170 flights as a precaution in advance of the storm, has now cancelled over 200 flights.
A spokesperson for the airline thinks remaining scheduled flights will be able to arrive at the airport, “but it is not a hard guarantee."
Transavia said it cancelled a total of nineteen flights that were to depart from either Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, or Eindhoven Airport. "The expected incoming flights will arrive with significant delays," said a spokesperson.
A Schiphol spokesperson said the number of cancellations will likely increase, but a full stop on all air traffic will not be necessary. "It is a very strong wind, but the wind direction for air traffic is quite favorable. Landing and taking off against the wind is still going well." That was different with Storm Corrie three weeks ago. "Then the wind came mainly from the side, which made landing and taking off difficult."
Despite the favorable wind direction, it is "a challenge" for pilots flying during Storm Eunice, the spokesperson added. Due to the strong wind, flying debris can cause dangerous situations on the tarmac. Refueling aircraft has also become more difficult. "That's why many flights are cancelled or delayed."
Trains to run on normal schedule pending damage evaluation
The NS intends to restart its normal train timetable on Saturday, but it is unlikely all trains will be able to run due to the damage that Storm Eunice will cause. All train traffic, domestic and international, was halted tue to the storm, out of consideration for passenger and worker safety, NS said on Thursday.
There is a good chance that trees will end up on the track due to the wind. "We do not yet have an idea of what the impact will be on the railways,” NS stated on its website. Special inspection trains will run on several routes on Friday evening and in the early morning hours of Saturday. These are trains without passengers which will check whether there are any obstacles or areas where the track is damaged.
ProRail is trying to clear the track as quickly as possible and to repair any damage, according to NS. Only then will it become clear whether there is any nuisance, and how extensive the problems are on Saturday, NS stated. Travelers are advised to consult the travel planner shortly before departure.
The train stations were all quiet Friday afternoon. According to a spokesperson, there were almost no travelers at Utrecht Central Station just after 2 p.m. on Friday. "The message seems to have been heard," the spokesperson said.
Several other public transportation systems were also impacted, including those in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Bus lines operated by Connexxion, Transdev, Brent, Hermes, and Keolis.
Additionally, delivery companies like PostNL, DHL, and even meal service Thuisbezorgd all announced that they will reduce, modify, or halt operations during the storm.
Reporting by ANP