Isha officially 2nd storm of the year in Netherlands; KLM cancels 130 flights

Storm Isha is officially the second storm to hit the Netherlands this year. Since midnight, storm-force winds have been blowing on Vlieland and IJmuiden for several hours, Weeronline reports. The KNMI issued a code orange warning for Noord-Holland and the Wadden area, warning of strong winds with gusts up to 110 kilometers per hour. A code yellow warning applies to the rest of the country. KLM canceled 130 flights to and from Schiphol Airport due to the storm.

The code orange is in place in Noord-Holland and the Wadden area until at least 8:00 a.m. The strongest gust measured so far was 110 kilometers per hour in IJmuiden, followed by 109 kilometers per hour in Vlieland.

The code yellow warning applies to the entire country until at least 10:00 a.m. Inland provinces can experience gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour. The coastal provinces could see gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour, the KNMI said.

Schiphol warned that the stormy weather and strong winds could result in flight delays and cancellations. “We are sorry for travelers who are affected by this,” the airport said. “If you are flying to or from Schiphol, check the latest flight information before you head to the airport.”

“The low pressure with associated strong winds and rain is affecting the UK, Northern France, BENELUX, North Germany and Scandinavia (Snow),” wrote European air traffic control center Eurocontrol in its 8:10 a.m. update on Monday. “Gust winds and wind shear over 30 knots are reported for most of the main airports in those areas.”

Arriving flights at Schiphol Airport were reduced due to the storm and strong wind, with crosswinds expected to cause even more delays from 9:40 a.m. At 8:00 a.m., the airport's website reported 74 arrivals and 57 departures canceled and 82 arrivals and 39 departures delayed.

KLM canceled 65 arrivals and 65 departures at the airport. It involves return flights to and from European destinations, a KLM spokesperson told NH Nieuws. “This is very unfortunate for our customers whose flights have been canceled.” KLM contacted the affected customers and rebooked them onto other flights.

The Rijkswaterstaat and ANWB urged road users to drive extra carefully on Monday morning due to the strong winds and stormy weather. “Adjust your driving behavior if you go onto the road,” the Rijkswaterstaat said. By 7:25 a.m., the ANWB reported 57 traffic jams covering 313 kilometers of Dutch roads.

The wind should die down by mid-morning, the KNMI expects. This afternoon will be sunny along the coast and partly cloudy in the east. Maximums will climb to around 10 degrees.

The rest of the week will be windy and wet, especially on Tuesday, but there will also be room for sunshine. Maximums will climb to between 10 and 13 degrees Celsius. The KNMI expects to issue another strong winds warning on Wednesday.

The first storm of the year, storm Henk, hit the Netherlands on January 2. Because a storm also passed over the country on December 21, Isha is the third storm of the winter.