Strong weather conditions in the Netherlands have led to at least 300 flights being cancelled at Schiphol Airport. Train traffic in the northern Netherlands has been completely suspended.
Winds of force 11, the second highest on the Beaufort scale, were measured in the port of IJmuiden in North Holland. Dutch weather website Weerplaza has labelled Storm Poly "the strongest summer storm ever measured" in the country. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) has declared code red in part of the country, including in North Holland.
According to the Schiphol airport spokesperson, about a fifth of all flights scheduled today have been cancelled – a number that is likely to rise over the day. Heavy winds of 100 to 120 kilometres per hour, rain and poor visibility have made landing and taking off difficult.
Rail company NS has also halted rail traffic across the north of the Netherlands. No trains have been running in North Holland and Flevoland since 08:30. From 09:30, rail traffic from Amersfoort, Zwolle, Groningen and Leeuwarden has also been halted.
People are urged to stay inside and avoid the roads, where many trees have fallen across affected areas of the country.
The KNMI has declared code red for the provinces of Noord-Holland, Flevoland and Friesland and the IJsselmeer region, where gusts can reach up to 120 kilometres per hour. Code orange applies for Zuid-Holland, Overijssel, Drenthe, Groningen and the Wadden area.
The Dutch public infrastructure agency advises road users to stay off highways in the parts of the Netherlands where code red applies.
In Belgium, the RMI extended code yellow in all Flemish provinces, except Flemish Brabant, until 21:00. It expects winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. A code yellow has also been applied to Liège.
