Where other storms often pass in a maximum of a few hours, this can now take longer. “It starts at the end of the afternoon, and goes on well into the night,” says Schambergen, member of the team Onlineweather Stormchasers† So he does go out on his own, and knows that he is taking a risk. “We’ll start on the coast and chase the storm north.”
See where you park
But how do they go then? “With a low car, well packed and we pay close attention.” The latter means as much as: adjusting speed, looking carefully where you park and not going to places where you have nothing to look for.”
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You can guess, but by places where you have nothing to look for, Schambergen mainly means the forest. You will be pelted with branches, if not trees. Another place you probably don’t like to visit today is the Afsluitdijk. “Although I suspect that they will close it at all,” Schambergen says. Anyway, bridges are treacherous today, says Schambergen.
Drive carefully
Staying at home is of course safest, but for people who still want to seek the excitement, the beach is perhaps the best. You will probably be sandblasted there, but with ski goggles on, that may still be doable.
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But to get to the beach you probably have to get in the car anyway, because trains don’t run. The code word: pay attention. Drive carefully, especially if you catch a lot of wind. Schambergen: “People should not be overconfident. Keep both hands on the wheel and watch out, even when overtaking trucks.”
Rijkswaterstaat wrote on the website: “In particular, motorists with a trailer and freight traffic are advised to be extra alert. Empty trucks in particular can experience a lot of nuisance.”
And when you are on the beach? “Then you should not be shocked if you suddenly fall over. A normal person just stops with a wind gust of 120 kilometers per hour, now gusts of 140 kilometers per hour can occur,” says Schambergen.
These are the current wind gusts:
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