Storm Louis to bring gusts up to 110 km/h to the Netherlands this evening
Storm Louis will hit the Netherlands this evening, bringing with it strong winds with gusts up to 110 kilometers per hour. The meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning for the entire country, starting in the south and coastal provinces at 6:00 p.m.
KLM canceled a number of flights ahead of the stormy weather. The Dutch airline typically does this when a strong wind warning is issued. KLM will rebook affected passengers on the first available flight and notify them by SMS or email.
Thursday morning is relatively calm in the Netherlands, but the weather will turn stormy in the afternoon from the south, according to Weeronline. Afternoon temperatures will climb to between 10 to 14 degrees, with periods of rain.
The first heavy gusts of up to 75 kilometers per hour should hit around evening rush hour. The western part of the country could also see some heavy showers during this time. “That’s the start of a very stormy evening,” Weeronline said. “The wind turns southwest to west and picks up considerably.”
Rijkswaterstaat warned of rain and strong winds during the evening rush hour but expects it to be no more busy than typical for a Thursday evening. The bad weather conditions should be canceled out by the fewer cars on the road due to spring break.
The western parts of the country, especially along the coasts, will see the first storm-strength winds. Gusts will range between 80 and 100 kilometers per hour and up to 110 k./h along the coast. The IJsselmeer may also see winds top 100 km/h.
The rainy area and strong winds will move toward the center of the country in the early evening and hit the east a few hours later. Inland, the wind will be strong but not as strong as in the west. Gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour are possible during some showers, though most won’t exceed 80 km/h, Weeronline expects.
The KNMI’s code yellow warning for strong winds applies to Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, Limburg, Zuid-Holland, Noord-Holland, and Utrecht from 6:00 p.m. Gelderland, Overijssel, Flevoland, the IJsselmeergebied, Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, and the Wadden Sea area follow at 8:00 p.m.
The heaviest showers will move away from the northeast around mid-evening, but it will take some time for the winds to die down. In the south, the storms and strong winds will die down later in the evening. “In the first half of the night, the wind gusts will decrease sharply in many places,” Weeronline said. “In Groningen, it could take until midnight before the heavy gusts of wind disappear.”
