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The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) lifted its nationwide Code Orange weather warning for severe thunderstorms early Sunday morning after a night of widespread disruption, lightning strikes and localized flooding. The alert, which had been in effect since Saturday evening, expired at 05:30 local time, though Code Yellow remains in force across all provinces and the Wadden Islands due to lingering heat.
Across the Netherlands, emergency services reported multiple blazes ignited by lightning, including a barn fire in North Brabant that prompted the evacuation of 24 children. In Amsterdam, fire crews responded to widespread water damage after torrential downpours overwhelmed drainage systems. The KNMI confirmed that the storms had cleared the country by dawn, but cautioned that residual heat and humid air could still produce isolated showers through the morning.
Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM) also downgraded its national alert from Code Orange to Code Yellow at 06:00, ending a 12-hour warning for thunderstorms that had covered Wallonia, Brussels and Flanders. The shift followed a similar pattern of heavy rain, hail and electrical activity that disrupted transport and outdoor events. In Liège, organizers canceled the Werchter Boutique festival after lightning forced an evacuation, while in France, Paris and Île-de-France transitioned from Code Red heat warnings to Code Orange overnight as violent storms swept through the region.
In the Netherlands, the KNMI’s initial Code Orange on Saturday evening had targeted Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel—provinces already under Code Red for extreme heat. By midnight, the institute expanded the warning nationwide as atmospheric instability surged westward. Dutch meteorologists noted that the storms had displaced the earlier heat dome, bringing temporary relief but also introducing fresh hazards. A landmark windmill in Friesland collapsed during the night, though no injuries were reported.
Emergency responders across the Low Countries described a night of high alert. Fire brigades in Utrecht and South Holland reported at least six separate blazes sparked by lightning, while municipal authorities in Amsterdam and Rotterdam issued flood advisories after drains failed to cope with rainfall rates exceeding 50 millimeters per hour in some areas. Rail operator NS suspended services briefly in the eastern provinces due to debris on tracks, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport recorded delays as ground crews cleared storm damage.
With the immediate threat passed, the KNMI urged continued vigilance for localized flooding and advised residents to avoid downed power lines and unstable structures. Forecasters expect temperatures to rebound into the low 30s Celsius by Monday, though without the extreme heat of the preceding days. The institute will monitor conditions closely as a new high-pressure system begins to build over Scandinavia.
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