Strong winds trigger code yellow storm warning from Thursday; Gusts up to 100 km/h
The Netherlands is in for gusty weather from Thursday. The KNMI predicted winds out of the north-northwest will batter coastal areas with gusts of up to 100 km/h, with inland regions seeing strong winds of up to 90 km/h. The meteorological institute issued a code yellow warning, which will cover each province at some point, starting on Thursday evening and stretching into Friday morning.
The storm warning is expected to first begin in Zeeland at 6 p.m. “Starting Thursday evening, strong wind gusts will occur in the southwest. These gusts will spread to the rest of the country throughout the evening, and then overnight into Friday,” the KNMI said.
The provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant, and Zuid-Holland will be under the Code Yellow warning from 8 p.m. on Thursday, and Gelderland, Overijssel, and Utrecht will follow two hours later.
Warnings for Flevoland and Noord-Holland get underway at 11 p.m., and the rest of the country can expect the worst of the storm from 1 a.m. on Friday. The storm warning is likely to expire later that morning at 7 a.m.
Those in affected areas should be alert for flying debris, broken-off branches, and possibly falling trees. Traffic may also be disrupted on the roadways and railways.
Rush hour traffic on Thursday was already expected to be difficult despite the current autumn school break in the northern and central regions of the Netherlands. The “major storm will be moving across the country,” which can “significantly impact” both the morning and evening rush hour periods, warned infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat.
“We expect more delays in the usual areas than you're used to during the autumn break. Delays could increase quickly in areas where incidents have occurred,” the agency said. Hundreds of kilometers of traffic jams are expected, with peaks around 8:30 a.m. and later at 5:30 p.m.
Strong winds typically also mean flight disruptions at Schiphol Airport. The Dutch airline KLM usually cancels a few dozen flights when the KNMI issues a code yellow storm warning. Because the strong winds are expected to mainly affect Noord-Holland in the overnight hours, when fewer flights are scheduled, the impact on Schiphol may be less severe.
Early this month, Storm Amy hit the Netherlands and left a trail of damage, primarily in the provinces of Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant. Insurers received dozens of claims for damages caused by blown-away tree branches, roof tiles, or garden furniture.
