The Netherlands in the grip of its strongest summer storm ever
A rare and violent summer storm with winds of up to 146 km/h hit the Netherlands on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring several, according to authorities. It is the strongest summer storm ever recorded in the Netherlands, and overall the strongest in the country since January 2018. The last major summer storm was in 2015, the first in more than a century.
The Netherlands is in the grip of its strongest summer storm on record on Wednesday 5 July and hundreds of flights have had to be canceled at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, one of the main European airports, while roads are closed. Authorities are reporting one death and several injuries, according to a preliminary report.
Furious winds of up to 146 km/h are blowing across the country as Storm Poly hits the North Sea coast, knocking over trees and prompting Dutch authorities to advise people to stay at home. A 51-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her vehicle in Haarlem, according to local police.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has warned that a combination of strong winds, rain and poor visibility will result in “very limited air traffic” both departures and arrivals, at least until 10am. 15:00 GMT.
More than 300 flights have been canceled at Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s biggest air hubs, according to public broadcaster NOS.
In the north of the country, trains have been stopped for safety reasons and a major highway has been blocked in Alkmaar, near Amsterdam, after a truck accident, according to Dutch authorities.
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) has issued a “code red” alert – the highest level – for four regions in the north of the country.
About a third of the Netherlands is below sea level
The government has issued a cellphone alert asking people to stay at home in the province of North Holland, which includes the city of Amsterdam. It is recommended to only call the overwhelmed emergency services in life-threatening situations.
Wind force 11, the second highest level on the Beaufort scale, was measured in the port of IJmuiden in North Holland, “the strongest summer storm ever measured” in the country, according to Dutch forecaster Weerplaza. A wind gust of 146 km/h measured in IJmuiden is also the strongest ever recorded in summer in the Netherlands, where storm season usually runs from October to April, according to this site.
With about a third of its territory below sea level, the Netherlands is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and the effects of climate change.
A tree felled by the storm in Haarlem west of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, July 5, 2023 © Remko de Waal, ANP/AFP
Rising sea levels are one of the most important consequences of global warming in the Netherlands, according to the National Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
On the night of 31 January to 1 February 1953, a tidal wave caused by winds from a violent depression in the North Sea killed more than 2,500 people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Great Britain, including 1,836 Dutch.
AFP
