Code Orange issued for thunderstorms, hail and wind gusts on Sunday

Saturday's tropical heat will be followed by another day of extreme weather conditions on Sunday. The national weather institute KNMI has declared a Code Orange for Sunday afternoon and evening as severe thunderstorms approach from the southwest. During the showers, there is a local chance of hailstones the size of golf balls. Severe wind gusts of 75 to 100 kilometers per hour are also possible during the showers.

The KNMI warns that damage and hazards may be caused by hail, lightning, falling trees, and flying objects. In addition, large amounts of precipitation may fall in a short period of time, causing local flooding. Code Orange applies on Sunday during the afternoon in the provinces of Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland, and Overijssel.

Furthermore, Rijkswaterstaat warns of dangerous driving conditions for motorists and advises drivers to adapt their driving behavior to the weather conditions during the storm. In addition, water sports enthusiasts should seek a harbor when thunderstorms are approaching. The showers may also affect train service. Therefore, NS advises travelers to keep an eye on the weather forecast and consult their travel planner.

In the central Netherlands, the summer vacations have now started, which leads to full campsites. There are also festivals where thunderstorms can play a big role. During the evening, the showers will move towards Germany, after which it will be dry everywhere, according to Weeronline.

Already on Sunday morning, it will feel very humid, warns Weeronline. In many places, the temperatures climb towards 30 degrees. On Saturday, it was 31.9 degrees in De Bilt, the warmest day of the year so far and officially also the warmest July 8 since temperature measurements began in 1901. The old record was 31.6 degrees, measured in 1959 in Gilze-Rijen. Locally, temperatures rose even further on Saturday. For example, 34.3 degrees was recorded at the measuring station in Eindhoven on Saturday afternoon.

Last Wednesday, the summer storm Poly passed over the Netherlands with wind gusts between 100 and 120 kilometers per hour. However, there were outliers on the coast: a wind gust of 146 kilometers per hour was measured at the weather station near IJmuiden on Wednesday.