Anger over wrong weather warning

Event organisers and the motoring organisation ANWB have strongly criticised the KNMI weather bureau for giving an unnecessary warning of bad weather on Thursday.


The KNMI issued a formal weather warning in the early hours of Thursday, saying winds of up to 110 kph and hailstorms could be expected by the afternoon.
But the storm itself was much less powerful than had been forecast and came later in the day. Emergency service workers, who were on full alert, had few reports of problems.
‘The weather alarm is a good idea but it has to be used properly,’ said Guido van Woekom, director of the ANWB, in the Telegraaf. ‘There have been a number issued in recent years and many have not been correct. That damages the credibility of the system.’
The warning led to a number of outdoor events being cancelled, including a major firework display at the seaside resort of Scheveningen. Despite the tropical temperatures, few people went to the beach because of the fear of bad weather, the paper said.
The storm did claim one victim. A farmer in Noord-Holland was killed by lightning as she brought in some cows in the early evening.
A spokesman for the KNMI said on Friday the warning was justified. Winds of up to 100 kph had been recorded in several places and hailstones the size of golfballs had fallen in parts of Friesland and the central Betuwe region, he said.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation