Storm Henk caused irritation around the Netherlands overnight

Storm Henk came entered the Netherlands with authority on Tuesday night. Firefighters were dispatched in various parts of the country to remove trees blown down by the strong winds. Train traffic was also disrupted on a number of routes. Road users were warned to take dangerous situations into account.

An average wind speed of wind force 9 was measured in IJmuiden on Tuesday evening between 7 and 8 p.m. This made Henk the first official storm of 2024, and the second winter storm of this season, according to Weeronline. The previous storm, Pia, was last December. Meteorologists consider it to be official when the average wind speed at at least one weather station is a minimum of 75 kilometers per hour for an entire hour.

In Zeeland, a tree blew down on the N654 near Noordgouwe. In Vlissingen a siding plate was blown off the exterior wall of a home, and a piece of a terrace was knocked free, Omroep Zeeland reported. Falling trees also caused disruption on Graaf Willem de Rijkelaan in Leidschendam, and five cars were damaged in The Hague five when a branch broke off a tree and scaffolding blew loose, according to Omroep West.

The fire brigade in Amsterdam received ten reports of storm damage in rapid succession, including on PC Hooftstraat and Nieuwe Utrechtseweg, according to AT5. The Rotterdam-Rijnmond Safety Region also informed broadcaster Rijnmond that it had received dozens of storm damage reports. In Maassluis, solar panels blew off the roof of an apartment building, and parts of the façade of several homes were also blown loose in the region.

Fire fighters in Meppel were busy with flooding in a parking lot, and some gardens and garages on the Vliegenpad, reported RTV Drenthe. A car ended up in the water on the Harlingerstraatweg in Leeuwarden, but the occupants were unharmed. Police said that the car will only be recovered after the storm.

The N307, the dike between Lelystad and Enkhuizen, was closed due to a malfunction at the Houtrib water locks in Lelystad. Traffic was detoured via Amsterdam, FlevoWegen said. The road reopened just before midnight, although there was still a ban on overtaking other vehicles. Authorities set a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour due to the strong wind.

A tree fell on the train tracks on the route between Utrecht Central Station and Tiel on Tuesday evening. As a result, trains were halted on that route, the NS said. Fewer trains were also running on the high-speed route between Rotterdam Central Station and Breda, and the gusty winds meant delays and cancellations between Alkmaar, Heerhugowaard and Den Helder.