Ongoing Storm Boelo cancels flights at Schiphol and disrupts trains
A water sports enthusiast is missing off Scheveningen, while the storm flooded Texel harbour, cancelled flights at Schiphol and disrupted trains on Sunday.
Autumn storm Boelo caused accidents and flooding across the Netherlands this weekend. A man was found dead under a fallen tree in Amsterdam. A water sports enthusiast went missing off the coast of Scheveningen. Emergency services stopped searching on Sunday evening, and the Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden, the regional safety authority, said it is currently too dangerous to continue.
"The strong wind and high waves make searching difficult. Now that it is dark, it is impossible to continue a search safely," the safety region said.
The KNMI issued code yellow for the coastal areas, warning of heavy gusts. The storm is expected to die down overnight.
Flights, trains and flooding
Dozens of flights from Schiphol were cancelled because of the wind, including many KLM flights as well as easyJet and Lufthansa services. Schiphol expects a "normal day" for air traffic on Monday.
A tree on the track stopped all trains between Haarlem and Zandvoort. Fewer sprinters run between Haarlem and Amsterdam Centraal. The NS journey planner shows disruption lasting until about 01:00.
It is the first closure this storm season. The barrier is due to reopen around 10:00 on Monday. On average it closes three to four times a year.
At Oudeschild on Texel the water stands 2 metres above NAP, the harbour is completely under water and roads are impassable. In Harlingen the quays are flooding.
A large tree fell on the N484 in Schoonrewoerd just as a car was passing. "Luckily no one was hurt, but the car is a total loss," said Sjors Fröhlich, mayor of Vijfheerenlanden. The storm also tore a large hole in the roof of an events centre in Veenendaal.
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Follow the story: Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden
Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden
The Haaglanden safety region is one of the regional safety authorities in the Netherlands, responsible for coordinating fire services, ambulance care, and municipal crisis management across The Hague and surrounding municipalities. When a disaster or major incident occurs, it leads the regional emergency response and informs the public. Its role matters most during events like storms, floods, or large fires that affect several local authorities at once.
NAP (Normaal Amsterdams Peil)
NAP is the Dutch national height reference, short for Normaal Amsterdams Peil, which the Netherlands uses as its zero level for measuring heights. Ground levels, dykes, and water levels are given in metres above or below NAP, where 0 m NAP is approximately mean sea level at Amsterdam. Because so much of the country lies below this level, NAP is the standard way to describe how high or low water stands in the Netherlands.