Storm Isha: More severe Code Orange wind alert issued for Noord-Holland, Wadden Islands

The weather alert issued in anticipation of Storm Isha was intensified for a few regions of the Netherlands on Sunday afternoon. An increased period of extremely strong wind gusts was expected to strike Noord-Holland, the Wadden Islands and the Wadden Sea starting on Sunday night and into Monday morning.

The more severe Code Orange alert was issued for those regions from 2 a.m. on Monday until 8 a.m., and will be under the milder Code Yellow warning both before and after that window. "Due to Storm Isha, very heavy wind gusts of 100-110 km/hour are expected," wrote the KNMI, the Dutch meteorological institute. "This can cause damage and danger due to falling trees and flying objects."

The whole of the Netherlands will be under a Code Yellow alert for strong sustained winds and heavy wind gusts. When this alert is in effect, up to 90 kilometers per hour wind gusts will blow across inland regions. This should peak at about 100 kilometers per hour at the coast.

In most places, the Code Yellow warning will begin when the clocks strike midnight and Monday gets underway, though it starts two hours earlier in Friesland, Noord-Holland, the Wadden Islands and Zuid-Holland. In Zeeland, the alert takes effect from 11 p.m.

"From mid-Monday morning the wind will decrease rapidly and the strong and very strong gusts will disappear." All alerts should expire everywhere by 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. on Monday, depending on the region.

Should Storm Isha hit the Netherlands as expected, it will be the fourth storm to make landfall since winter began, and the second storm of the year. Thus far, a total of five weather systems categorized as storms have hit at least one region of the Netherlands since the beginning of the storm season in October.

Storm Henk crossed the Netherlands on January 2 and 3, one week after Gerrit. A week prior to that, Pia made its way across much of the country. The worst of Storm Elin missed most of the Netherlands, mainly affecting the Wadden Islands.

Before the winter, the storm named Ciarán also caused extensive damage in early November. A month prior, Babet missed the Netherlands as it passed from the British Isles to Denmark and Sweden.

Storm Isha weather warnings by region as of Sunday at 1:30 p.m.