Storm Benjamin battered Dutch coastal areas on Thursday afternoon and evening, bringing heavy rain and gale force winds to the west.

Wind speeds of up to 106 kph were recorded between 7 pm and 8 pm at the Houtribdijk, a dyke which connects Enkhuizen to Lelystad, according to broadcaster NOS. An official storm requires registration of at least gale force 9 for a period of an hour at a KNMI weather station.

The gales brought down trees in several places, hitting tram services in The Hague. High speed train services between Amsterdam and Breda were disrupted for a time.

Dozens of flights to and from Schiphol airport were also cancelled or delayed. In Eindhoven, a window was blown out of a ninth floor room and crashed to the ground, but no-one was injured.

Storm Benjamin is the third autumn storm to hit the Netherlands this autumn, and the fifth official storm this year.  The first autumn storm hit on September 15 and the second on October 5, when force gale 9 winds were recorded.

There are an average of seven official storms a year in the Netherlands.