The KNMI has issued an orange alert due to thunderstorms and warns that there is a local risk of disruption and damage caused by rain, strong gusts of wind, large hailstones, and lightning.
DE BILT (ANP) – The KNMI has issued an orange alert for the provinces of Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland, and Overijssel starting Saturday evening at 8:00 PM due to severe thunderstorms. According to the weather institute, the storms, featuring large hailstones of 2 to 5 centimetres, strong wind gusts, and heavy rain in a short period of time, could cause disruption and damage in multiple locations. The warning applies until at least 1:00 AM.
A yellow alert is in effect in the other provinces due to thunderstorms, but this may still change. “Thunderstorms are unpredictable,” says a KNMI spokesperson.
In Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland, and Overijssel, a red alert also remains in effect until 9:00 PM Saturday evening due to the heat. Temperatures in the four provinces could locally reach up to 38 degrees on Saturday, according to the KNMI. Various events have been cancelled due to the high temperatures. Last Friday evening and the subsequent night from Friday to Saturday, the KNMI also issued an orange alert for a large part of the country due to severe thunderstorms. Control rooms in the central part of the country, Groningen, and Drenthe, among others, received many reports of storm damage at that time. Between Thursday 2:00 AM and Friday 2:00 AM, the KNMI registered 188,307 lightning strikes. The institute calls this “exceptionally high”.
