Code yellow for storm gusts in six provinces tonight
Fallen trees badly damaged graves in Maastricht and injured two people in Limburg on Friday, as the KNMI issued code yellow for six provinces.
The KNMI issued code yellow for Friday evening for Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, Gelderland and Overijssel as Storm Austen moved north towards Belgium and the Netherlands. Strong gusts were expected late in the afternoon and in the evening.
Rijkswaterstaat reported branches and trees on or beside roads in several places, mainly in the south-east. One tree was hanging over the hard shoulder of the A65 near Tilburg. The agency said: "It causes no hindrance anywhere, but caution is needed."
In Belgium, several Brussels tram lines were disrupted for some time, and emergency services were called out frequently, for example in Antwerp. In Ruisbroek, south of Brussels, a tree fell on a train and passengers were stuck for hours.
In Rhineland-Westphalia in Germany, two people were injured on Friday afternoon when scaffolding material came loose, presumably because of the strong wind.
In the Netherlands, fallen trees badly damaged several graves at a historic general cemetery on the Tongerseweg in Maastricht on Friday. Trees also fell on vehicles in several places, and two people were injured in Limburg.
In Amsterdam a tree fell on a car, but the passenger escaped with a fright. The fire brigade was called out to storm damage in several places.
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KNMI (Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut)
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute is the Dutch national weather service. It produces weather forecasts, climate data and the official weather warnings for the Netherlands. Its warning levels, such as code geel, code oranje and code rood, are what local authorities, emergency services and the public use to judge how serious a storm or other weather event is.
code geel
Code geel (code yellow) is the lowest of the three warning levels the KNMI issues for severe weather, above the normal forecast and below code oranje and code rood. It means the weather can cause some nuisance or minor disruption, so people are advised to be alert and take care. It is issued by region and applies to a specified time period.
Rijkswaterstaat
Rijkswaterstaat is the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. It manages and maintains the national motorways and main roads, the main waterways, and the national water defences such as dykes and storm barriers. It also handles traffic management on the national road network, including reporting road hazards.