Code Yellow: Strong winds causing dangerous driving conditions in west, northwest NL

Strong winds and rain are causing dangerous driving conditions in the west and northwest of the Netherlands on Thursday morning. The meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow weather warning. Public works department Rijkswaterstaat urged people to work from home if possible and drive carefully if they have to hit the road.

The code yellow warning applies to Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, Noord-Holland, the IJsselmeergebied, the Wadden Sea area, and Friesland until 10:00 a.m. Gusts up to 90 kilometers are possible, the KNMI warned.

The strong winds could cause accidents by blowing tree branches and other items onto the road, according to the KNMI. Be alert and drive carefully. “We advise working from home if possible, so it is less busy for the people who do have to go on the road,” Rijkswaterstaat said on Twitter.

Traffic was building up early on Thursday morning, the travelers’ association ANWB said. By 7:43 a.m., the ANWB noted 88 traffic jams covering 452 kilometers of Dutch roads. Traffic was heavy around Rotterdam, The Hague, Gorinchem, and Den Bosch, as well as between Nijmegen and Eindhoven.

NS reported issues with the trains around Amersfoort. No trains were running between there and Wageningen because of a signal failure, and between the city and Zwolle due to a collision. There were also fewer Intercity trains between Amersfoort and Utrecht.

Eurocontrol said it was expecting “high delays” at Schiphol Airport as a result of high winds, and arriving flights were expected to be regulated. As of 7:30 a.m., a handful of arriving and departing flights were facing delays at the airport.

There are also a few short delays affecting flights at Eindhoven Airport and Rotterdam The Hague Airport, according to their websites.

The KNMI expects more strong winds during the evening rush hour in the west and southwest of the country.