Lightning and storm damage end Dutch heatwave

The Netherlands’ record-breaking heatwave turned into some of the heaviest thunderstorms in years over the weekend, with more than 300,000 lightning strikes, flash flooding and falling trees causing damage across the country.

Weather service KNMI counted 301,137 strikes on Saturday, well above the roughly 188,000 recorded during storms the previous weekend.

The total is expected to climb once strikes after 2am on Sunday are added. Forecasters at Buienradar said it could approach 500,000, which would be the most since lightning records began in 2004.

Fires and flooding
Two bouts of storms crossed the country, the first arriving from the south-west on Saturday afternoon and a second overnight. In Amsterdam, heavy rain left streets flooded and the regional safety service asked people to call the emergency services only in cases of immediate danger, to keep the lines clear.

Lightning set fire to a farm in the Groningen village of Toornwerd, where two calves died but 150 cows were led to safety, as well as a thatched-roof house in Snelrewaard, a roof in the south of Amsterdam and a home in Wassenaar, where firefighters rescued a cat.

Wind and hail
Strong gusts tore the sails from a monumental windmill in Veldhoven, damaging nearby houses and cars, and brought down trees and branches in many areas. Hail stones of up to 5cm fell near Hilversum.

The storms forced organisers to halt or cancel outdoor events, including the Concert at Sea festival in Zeeland, rapper Lil Kleine’s show in Amsterdam and a music night in Heerenveen, while spectators at the TT motorcycle races in Assen had to take shelter.

KNMI lifted its code orange storm warning across the country early on Sunday, ending the official heatwave that brought the first-ever code red for heat. Temperatures will ease this week, reaching up to 27° in the west and 32° in the east before falling further, though a code yellow warning for heat remained in place.