Storm

A report raising concerns about fire safety and structural integrity of AFAS stadium that was released shortly before the new stadium opened in 2006, was ignored by the Alkmaar city council and office of mayor and aldermen, former alderman Victor Kloos said to De Stentor. 

"We warned about it at the time. In the meantime, I have requested all documents, investigations and reports from that time from the municipality", party leader Kloos of OPA - currently the largest party in the Alkmaar city council - said to the newspaper. 

One person was killed, and separately a portion of the AFAS Stadion roof collapsed as heavy winds gripped the Netherlands on Saturday. Wind gusts in IJmuiden, at the North Sea coast, even topped 104 kilometers per hour.

A bicyclist died at about 2:30 p.m. in Linschoten, Utrecht, when the heavy winds toppled a tree, which sent it crashing down on a bike path along the Haardijk. The tree struck the victim, a 58-year-old man from Lopik, a town 15 kilometers away from the accident.

Road users must take an extra busy evening rush hour into account on Friday afternoon, according to travelers' association ANWB. In addition to stormy weather set to hit the Netherlands in the afternoon, many people are also expected to hit the road to spend the Pentecost long weekend elsewhere.

Some 72,500 lightning flashes were counted in Dutch skies while thunderstorms moved across the country on Wednesday night and during the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Weeronline. The storms also brought with them heavy downpours and strong winds.

The showers started on Wednesday evening above the northern parts of France and then melted together into a large storm complex, according to the weather service. The storms reached the south of the Netherlands late in the evening and then moved across the country in a north to northwesterly direction. 

After severe thunderstorms left a trail of damage across the Netherlands on Tuesday night, another area of thunderstorms is approaching the country. The first thunderstorms will hit the southernmost part of the Netherlands at around 11:00 p.m., and move across the country during the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Weeronline.

While Tuesday is starting out dry and even sunny in some places, it will end with a bang. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow warning for storms, which may be accompanied by large amounts of rain, strong winds and hail. 

The code yellow weather warning applies to the entire country. The stormy weather will start in the south at around 7:00 p.m. and leave through the north of the country during the early hours of Wednesday morning.

With an average wind speed of 9 on the Beaufort scale in Vlissingen, the first official spring storm of the year became a fact on Sunday. Local safety offices in Noord-Brabant and Zeeland received dozens of damage reports. In Limburg train traffic was halted because of fallen trees on the tracks. And Eindhoven Airport had to temporarily keep all flights on the ground.

An 80-year-old Dutch woman died during storms on the Spanish island of Mallorca, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Wednesday evening following reports in Spanish media. The victim's family has been informed, ANP reports.

Mallorca was hit by large storms on Tuesday. Heavy rainfall caused flooding on the east of the island.

At least 10 people, including the Dutch woman, died in the severe weather. One child is still missing, according to th Spanish emergency response service. 

Mallorca is a popular tourist destination. 

A westerly storm is forecast to hit the Netherlands on Friday. Schiphol therefore warns that flights from or to the airport may be delayed or canceled. Travelers are advised to check their current flight information before leaving for the airport.

Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow weather warning for a large part of the Netherlands on Friday. Winds up to 85 kilometers per hour are expected. Due to the strong winds, some of Schiphol's runways can't be used. 

The airport already reports a large number of canceled departures and arrivals on its website.

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.

While the morning started out sunny in most of the Netherlands, thunderstorms are set to hit the country this afternoon. Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code yellow weather warning for the entire country.