Videos: Winterswijk hit hard by summer storm; 127 damage reports

The severe storms that swept across the eastern Netherlands on Wednesday evening hit Winterswijk particularly hard. The fire brigade received at least 127 reports of storm damage and one fire, NOS reports.

Many trees toppled around Winterswijk, including on the N318 and N319 and the railway, disrupting train traffic between Zupthen and Hengelo and between Arnhem and Winterswijk. There were also many reports of flooded streets.

The roof of a business collapsed in the storm, miraculously causing no injuries. About 20 people were in the building when the roof came down, but they managed to get to safety. The collapse also caused a gas leak, which the emergency services quickly remedied.

The local security office, Veiligheidsregio Noord- en Oost-Gelderland, sent out an NL-Alert to Winterswijk residents, urging them to stay off the roads. The emergency services worked through the night to clear away fallen trees and branches.

After two scorching days of heat warnings, last night’s storms also triggered a code orange warning for Limburg, Gelderland, and Overijssel. The KNMI later extended it to Drenthe in Groningen.

For the first time in several days, there is currently no weather warning in place. Today will be a mix of sunshine and clouds with maximums between 19 and 25, north to south. The northwesterly wind will be weak to moderate, and no rain is expected.