Code Orange weather alert issued for storms in Limburg; Code Yellow in other provinces

Meteorologists in the Netherlands ordered a Code Orange weather alert for heavy rain in Limburg on Thursday afternoon. The alert was in effect from 3 p.m. to midnight because over 75 millimeters of rain could potentially fall in some places.

“This can cause damage and danger as a result of flooding,” said the KNMI, the Dutch meteorological institute. The province also could experience severe thunderstorms with hail, and gusts of wind topping out at 75 kilometers per hour.

The severe weather could potentially disrupt events in the area, like the Jera On Air hardcore music festival in Ysselsteyn. The camping area opened up despite the forecast earlier in the afternoon, but organizers had lightning rods installed at the tents covering the stages, and have learned lessons from previous years when stormy weather hit. "We now know what to do," festival spokesperson Thijs Vogels told L1. "We don't want to cause unnecessary panic right now," but should heavy rain hit, ticket-holders will be told to gather under the main tents until the storms pass, unless heavy winds make that impossible, in which case they will be led to the open fields.

“A great deal of rain is also expected in the east of Overijssel, Gelderland and Noord-Brabant,” the KNMI said. They issued a Code Yellow weather warning for those provinces, also from 3 p.m to midnight. “Regionally, more than 50 mm of rain can fall into the evening, possibly more than 75 mm locally.” Rainfall was also predicted in Utrecht, Zeeland, and less so in Friesland and Groningen. The strongest sustained winds were likely along the Zeeland coast, which could reach up to 40 km/h.

Afternoon traffic was already building up by 3:55 p.m., with about 580 kilometers of highways jammed up. This was also due to several events, including Defqon 1 in Biddinghuizen, and Concert at Sea along Brouwersdam in Zeeland, said the ANWB. Traffic was also building up on the A10 around the south and east of Amsterdam, the highways in and out of Rotterdam and The Hague, and the highways south out of Utrecht and east of Dordrecht.

“It will be dry everywhere overnight,” the KNMI said on Thursday afternoon. “Tomorrow morning the sun will shine brightly and it will remain dry. There is still a chance of fog at the coastal areas.”

Thursday’s weather warning was expected to be the last for at least a week, and maybe longer. The weather will remain mostly dry and warm, increasing from 25 degrees Celsius on Friday, to between 28-30 degrees on Sunday, and then remaining in the mid to high twenties through June 28. Overnight temperatures will remain in the mid-teens.

From June 29 to July 6, people in the Netherlands can expect slightly variable weather “with a daily chance of rain or showers, but also considerable dry and sunny periods. Temperatures are likely to be around or slightly above normal.”