First official storm of the year: Wind peaked at 107 km/h
The first official storm in over a year hit the Netherlands on Monday, bringing peak gusts of wind that reached 107 kilometers per hour. That maximum gust was measured in Lauwersoog, Groningen, across the Wadden Sea from Schiermonnikoog, according to Weeronline. Additionally, it was the warmest day of the year thus far in the Netherlands.
To be considered a storm, the average windspeed of a minimum of 75 km/h must persist for at least an hour, at one or more weather stations operated by the KNMI, the country's national meteorological office. The storm does not have a name, because of the limited impact.
The storm-force winds were recorded at IJmuiden on the Noord-Holland coast, on the Houtribdijk dam between the Markermeer and IJsselmeer, and on the island of Vlieland in Friesland. Winds measuring Force 9 on the Beaufort Scale were recorded from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Wind force 9 ranges from 75 to 88 kilometers per hour.
The heavy winds were expected to cause some evening commute problems on Monday. There were 311 kilometers of traffic jams at 4:40 p.m., according to the ANWB. A Code Yellow weather warning was in effect in five provinces, specifically Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Flevoland, Friesland and Groningen. The warning was set to expire by 7 p.m. in the two provinces along the North Sea coast, at 6 p.m. in Friesland, and at 5 p.m. elsewhere.
There were five total storms that hit the Netherlands in 2022, two of which were unnamed. The others were Corrie, Dudley and Eunice.
Temperatures peaked at 18.0 degrees in Volkel. At the KNMI headquarters in De Bilt, considered the meteorological center of the country, the temperature reached 16.6 degrees.
Those temperatures exceeded the highest to date for 2023, which were set on New Year's Day. On the first day of the year, it was 15.6 degrees in De Bilt and 16.9 degrees in Eindhoven.
