Dozens of flights delayed or cancelled at Schiphol as storm approaches the northeast

Flights at Schiphol Airport were delayed or canceled due to the heavy thunderstorms, the airport said. The passing storm also prompted the meteorological office, KNMI, to issue a Code Orange warning for the provinces of Friesland and Groningen.

The only area not under a severe warning is the Wadden Islands, which was still under a Code Yellow warning. The rain showers came in from the southwest and were moving through to the northeast of the country.

Hailstones of 2 centimeters were expected to fall in some areas, and wind gusts of 80 kilometers per hour may be possible. The thunderstorms are expected to clear by the end of the evening. With a Code Orange warning, the KNMI issues a warning for dangerous or extreme weather that can have a major impact and a risk of damage, injury and significant nuisance.

It is not yet known how many flights will be affected at Schiphol. A total of 37 departures were cancelled by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, including about 30 after the storm approached the Amsterdam area. At some point, the ground crew was ordered to stop working for safety reasons. That meant that baggage handling came to a stop for a time, but that work started back up before 7 p.m.

A total of 38 arriving flights were also cancelled. Most of those were set to land after 3:30 p.m. as the storm was beginning to reach the Netherlands, according to the airport’s website. European air traffic service Eurocontrol also said just before 7 p.m. that arriving flights were still being regulated with “high delays” expected in the Amsterdam area. Thunderstorms were also expected to impact air traffic in Belgium, Northern France, and Southeastern England.

The Schiphol Airport website also showed many departing and arriving flights that were delayed. "We advise people to consult the Schiphol website for travel information," said a Schiphol spokesperson.

The traffic on the roads passed its peak on Tuesday evening, though it was very busy earlier due to the passing storm showers. At its peak, there were 954 kilometers of traffic jams, making it the sixth busiest rush hour this year, according to the ANWB.

A Code Orange weather warning was in effect in most of the Netherlands. The storms made the roads very busy in the southwest of the Netherlands, partly also as a result of the closure of the Haringvliet bridge on the A29 motorway. Later on Tuesday it became busy in Noord-Holland, when showers passed over that area.

On the A20 near Rotterdam, the right lane was closed due to water on the road. Furthermore, there were several accidents, so that the traffic on the road was relatively moderate even despite the heavy showers. Around 6:15 p.m. there were still more than 200 kilometers of traffic jam.