Jul 05, 2023 at 07:56Update: 8 minutes ago
The KNMI has issued code red in North Holland, Flevoland, Friesland and the IJsselmeer area. Those provinces will have to deal with very strong gusts of wind due to storm Poly. Road users are advised to postpone their journey if possible.
Follow the latest developments around the storm in our live blog
With this strongest weather alert that the KNMI can issue, the institute warns of a weather situation with so much damage, injury and nuisance that it can disrupt society.
The fact that the KNMI has issued the weather alarm has to do with the heavy gusts of wind that Poly brings. Wind gusts of 100 to 120 kilometers per hour can occur in the provinces. “This can cause considerable damage and very dangerous situations as a result of falling trees and flying objects,” the weather institute reports.
The KNMI previously issued a code orange warning in part of the country. That warning still applies to South Holland, Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel. Code yellow applies in Utrecht, North Brabant, Gelderland, Zeeland and Limburg. Wind gusts of 75 to 100 kilometers per hour can occur there.
Storm Poly formed in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday off the coast of the Netherlands. It reached the west coast around 8 a.m. In the afternoon the restless weather moves towards Germany.
This is what the weather codes issued by the KNMI mean
Code yellow: risk of dangerous weather, be alert.Code orange: high risk of dangerous weather, be prepared.Code red: weather alert for extreme weather with a lot of impact.
North Holland gets NL-Alert: stay indoors
In the province of North Holland, an NL-Alert was sent around 9 a.m. due to the extreme weather conditions. The security region calls on people to stay indoors and only call 112 in life-threatening situations.
The emergency number 112 is in danger of becoming overloaded in the Kennemerland region. A spokesperson for the Kennemerland Security Region warns against this on Wednesday morning. “Only call 112 if it is life-threatening”, he calls on people.
The spokesman speaks of a dire situation. According to him, people now call 112 for blown branches and blown over trampolines. “As a result, people in life-threatening situations may not be able to receive help,” he warns. “So think about whether it’s life-threatening.” And if that is not the case, for example if a tree threatens to fall, people can call 0900-0904.
Rijkswaterstaat: ‘Postpone trip’
Rijkswaterstaat has advised road users in the northwest of the country to postpone their journey if possible. The government also advises against going on the road with a caravan or empty trailer.
The ANWB reports a slightly heavier morning rush hour than usual. There is currently more than 280 kilometers of traffic jams on Dutch roads. It is especially busy around Amsterdam and The Hague. The A9 between the Kooimeer junction and Uitgeest has been closed after trees were blown down on the road.
Other travelers will also be affected by the weather on Wednesday. For example, air traffic at Schiphol has been hit hard. More than three hundred flights have been canceled, but that number can still increase, reports a spokesperson.
NS has halted train traffic in North Holland and Flevoland at 8.30 am. From 9.30 am there will also be no trains around Amersfoort, Zwolle, Groningen and Leeuwarden. The trip planner is being updated and is still showing incorrect information. It is not yet known how long this will take. “We are working on measures for the rest of the day,” says a spokesman.
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Several schools are closing doors
Several schools will close their doors on Wednesday because of the storm. For example, the secondary schools Werenfridus, Oscar Romero and Dante in Hoorn in North Holland are closed for the time being.
The students who were already at school will be taken care of there and will not be allowed to go outside for the next few hours, reports the deputy principal of the Werenfridus. The tests don’t go through in the morning. Because it is test week, most children have little or no food with them. The school is therefore busy arranging something for this.
Tabor College, the education group that includes the three secondary schools, has informed the parents. The schools will check around noon whether students are allowed to return to school.
2023-07-05 05:56:01
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