Approaching summer storm triggers code yellow warning

A summer storm will hit the Netherlands on Thursday, according to Weeronline. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning for strong winds during the evening.

The first showers will start falling from the south of the country during the late morning and early afternoon, according to Weeronline. The provinces of Limburg, Gelderland, Overijssel, Drenthe and Groningen may see some thunder and hail. Locally there may be lots of rain in a short period, which could cause flooding. With the showers there is a chance of wind gusts of around 80 kilometers per hour. The heaviest showers will move to the northeast during the afternoon.

Tonight new showers will move across the country from the southwest. In total Weeronline expects 5 to 10 millimeters of rain to fall. In the west and east, some places may see up to 30 millimeters of rain. During the course of the evening the wind will turn west to northwest and pick up in strength. There is a chance of gusts up to 110 kilometers per hour in the northwest, and gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour inland.

The storm will leave the country via the west coast during the early hours of Friday morning. "The storm will last only for a few hours, but can cause a lot of damage in that short time", Weeronline warned. "Because of the drought, trees are weakened and can easily be blown down."

Thursday's rain will not be enough to end the drought. It has to rain every day for months to fix the drought, according to the weather service. After today's rain the water deficit will be around 290 mm.

Afternoon temperatures will range between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Friday and Saturday will be cooler with maximums between 20 and 24 degrees - normal temperatures for August. "The normal summer weather will be short lived, because Sunday will be 26-30 degrees again. The following days will be slightly warmer than normal at around 25 degrees", Weeronline said.