Saturday will be mild with some rain at times, but on Sunday afternoon, Storm Ciara will hit with a vengeance, bringing winds which could reach as high as 140 kph on the coast, weather bureau Weerplaza said on Friday.

Inland the winds could reach 120 kph, particularly in Noord Holland, Zuidholland and Zeeland, meteorologist Diana Woei said. Wind speeds of up to 140 kph are very rare for the Netherlands, she said.

The transport ministry’s roads and waterways department told broadcaster NOS it is following developments closely but does not yet plan any precautionary measures, such as closing sluice gates.

Monday and Tuesday will also be windy but later in the week more settled weather will return with temperatures of around 6 Celsius and some sunshine.