Storm Floriane: 600 delays at Schiphol Airport, Issues on Dutch railways

The weather system known as Floriane made landfall in the Netherlands on Monday afternoon, becoming the third official winter storm to hit the country this season, and the second storm since 2025 began less than a week ago. With gusts of over 100 kilometers per hour at times, the storm was causing problems at Schiphol Airport and on Dutch train routes, with road traffic also jammed up mainly around Amsterdam.

The KNMI had issued a code yellow weather warning for the entire country due to the high winds. Local news website Regio15 reported part of a shopping center in The Hague was cordoned off after a facade panel blew down.

A total of 333 departing flights were delayed at Schiphol Airport since the start of operations Monday morning, and 16 departures were also cancelled, as of 6 p.m. Another 22 arriving flights were scrapped, and 282 more were facing delays ranging from a few minutes to several hours.

Arrival capacity was already limited at the start of the day, but only minor issues were initially expected. The delays began to build up in the early afternoon, with airplane crews forced to deal with crosswinds for the bulk of the afternoon, according to European air traffic control service Eurocontrol. The added limitation from crosswinds was likely to continue until at least 7 p.m.

However, it could be hours before the airlines operating at the country's largest airport can get back on schedule. Another 19 flights also left Eindhoven Airport later than scheduled, including several which faced lengthy delays. Further, 12 flights arrived late at Eindhoven, with many of those flights only facing minor delays. There were no major issues at Rotterdam The Hague Airport, according to that facility's website.

Storm Floriane disrupted rail traffic across the Netherlands as well, with Dutch national railway NS saying that trees came down on the tracks at various locations, and debris obstructed overhead lines at other spots. Trains operating between Amsterdam Zuid, Schiphol Airport, Leiden Centraal, Den Haag Centraal, Delft and Rotterdam Centraal were impacted by defective overhead lines. This took many Intercity and Sprinter trains off the schedule, with normal service unlikely to resume until after 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

A tree on the tracks also disrupted service between Veenendaal Centraal and Rhenen, with buses running the route at least until 6:45 p.m. A stalled train also cut off the connection between Soest and Baarn, with service unlikely to return until 7:45 p.m.

Many trains were affected to and from Maastricht, with operations stopped between Maastricht and Valkenburg due to a fallen tree in the afternoon. Passenger trains along the route between Maastricht and Sittard were cancelled until at least 8:45 p.m., with replacement bus services underway. This was in addition to the cancellation of many trains between Maastricht and Heerlen due to equipment and personnel availability. A bus service will ferry passengers between the cities until the early morning hours on Wednesday.

Service between Eindhoven and Weert was also reduced due to an object, possibly a branch or plastic debris, caught in the overhead lines. The NS said it was uncertain when normal service would resume. Similar overhead line issues affected the route between Oss and Den Bosch, where fewer trains ran until 7:30 p.m. Earlier, a tree on the tracks between Eindhoven and Helmond caused delays and reduced service, but that problem had been resolved.

Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch agency responsible for public works and water management, warned motorists of hazardous conditions due to the storm. “Due to the strong wind, we saw quite a few branches, trees and other objects on the road,” the agency said in a statement. “In addition to being dangerous, they also caused closed lanes.” The agency urged drivers to exercise caution.

Traffic was jammed up during rush hour on the southern portion of the A10 in Amsterdam, with some typical issues around Rotterdam and The Hague. Most of the major issues were resolved by 6:30 p.m.