The first summer storm of the year
The first summer storm of the year has made landfall and it has a name storm Francis. Last night it rained and blew heavily in many parts of the Netherlands. There were wind gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour in some places. It has been over a year since we have experienced a summer storm in our country. Last year on Aug. 10, it stormed along our west coast for some time. That summer storm caused considerable damage locally, including the partial collapse of the AZ stadium at the time. Francis is the fifth storm of the year. In February, four storms passed over the country in a span of two weeks.
In the video slider below we have put a number of Storm Francis videos which you can easily view by sliding through them with the left or right arrows when you place your mouse or finger on the video
Much damage in the Netherlands
Downed trees, no trucks and cars with trailers or caravans on the embankment and, here and there, no or fewer trains. Storm Francis caused inconvenience in several areas. Insurer Interpolis received 184 claims reports Wednesday until noon. The insurer believes the number of reports will continue to rise. About three-quarters of the reports involve damage to residential properties, the insurer said. The damage was mainly caused by falling branches, downed fences and roof tiles blown off a building.
As expected
The weather has lived up to the forecast,” concluded weatherman Michiel Severin of Weerplaza. ,,On the coast wind gusts of up to 110 kilometers per hour, in some regions inland to about 90 kilometers per hour. Really code yellow, without extensive-scale major damage.”
Boisterous enough, however, to disrupt train traffic here and there, among other things. Early this morning, for example, fewer intercity trains ran between Amsterdam and Den Helder due to weather conditions, as did between Groningen and Assen. Also, no trains were running between Boskoop and Gouda due to a tree on the track and no trains were running between Rotterdam and the Belgian border due to high winds on the high-speed line.
Wind force 9
The summer storm raged through the Netherlands as early as last night with wind force 9. Due to the heavy gusts of wind, trees fell down and houses were damaged. In The Hague, a woman ended up under a fallen tree. The fire department first picks up the reports that are extra urgent, says the spokesman for the Haaglanden region, where some 150 reports came in until this morning. “We are now going to take stock.” This involves going down the list of untreated reports, such as facade cladding that has come loose and scaffolding that has blown over.
Fire department sprang into action
The fire department in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region had had more than 50 reports since 7 p.m. Tuesday until about 7:30 a.m. Among those, according to a spokesperson, were no urgent reports. These were mostly trees that had fallen. A spokesman for the North Holland North Fire Department speaks of a relatively quiet night, with about 30 reports of minor incidents, such as branches or trees on the road.
During the morning, the wind again decreases in strength, but it will take until late afternoon for the heavy gusts to disappear completely. The wind will remain strong until early evening with at least wind force 4 or 5 everywhere. On the Wadden Sea, wind force 7 is even stronger tonight. ,,For the fans of kitesurfing and windsurfing, of course, these are just great prospects. Wave surfers are also in for a treat, as substantial waves are blown to our beaches with the west to northwest winds. Waves of 3 to 5 meters are not something you encounter every day there,” said meteorologist Severin. “For most sailors, the wind will be too strong today.”
First summer storm in over a year
Summer storms tend to be less intense than those in the fall, winter and early spring, although summer storms can sometimes be violent as well. On July 25, 2015, Code Red was in effect and several people were killed as a result of damage from heavy wind gusts. The heaviest summer storm was on Aug. 26/27, 1912. At that time, wind gusts of 148 km/h were measured in Hoek van Holland.
It’s quiet again in Egmond aan Zee
In this video from this morning you can see the calm has returned to our beautiful Egmond aan Zee, Storm Frances has passed and in Egmond most people are breathing a sigh of relief again…. Although we are used to some things here!!!
