Storm Poly Kills Two People, Disrupts 400 Flights in the Netherlands Amid 'Code Red' Weather Alert

Storm Poly killed at least two people as it battered the Netherlands coast and its surrounding areas.

The violent weather system, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, was responsible for causing the disruption of hundreds of flights amid a 'code red' weather alert issued by Dutch weather authorities.

The system also brought travel chaos, halting road traffic movement and even train operations across the country.

Storm Poly Deaths

(Photo : Photo by Joana Abreu on Unsplash)

Reports on Wednesday, July 5, said a total of two people died as Storm Poly struck parts of the Netherlands and Germany with damaging winds, which disrupted both air and rail travel, as mentioned earlier. The Netherlands' national meteorology institute issued the code red storm warning to warn the country's Noord-Holland province, which also includes Amsterdam, Sky News reported.

One of the two victims died in the Dutch town of Haarlem where a woman was struck by a falling tree on Wednesday, according to local police, as cited by Nu.nl news agency, Deutsche Welle reported. The other victim also died from a falling tree in the municipality of Rhede, Germany, after the country was hit by strong wind gusts in its northwestern region.

Various media reports have labelled Poly as the "strongest summer storm" recorded in the region.

Based on reports, Poly was able to generate wind speeds of up to 146 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) across the Netherlands when it hovered over the North Sea coast. This prompted Dutch authorities issued the code red weather alert, the local Dutch media outlet reported.

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Code Red Weather Alert

The said as weather alert requires millions of people across the Netherlands to stay indoors after Storm Poly devastated public transport and highways, as well as caused the cancelation of 400 flights from Schiphol airport, according to AFP News Agency. Meanwhile, Dutch officials also halted all trains, buses, and trams.

The code red storm warning is the highest level when it comes to storm severity across the Dutch territory. The warning indicates that a storm can be either destructive and life-threatening.

Meteorologists have reportedly considered Poly as a rare storm since the Netherlands is currently in its summer season that spans from July to September each year.

Netherlands Weather

Although hurricanes are rare in the Netherlands, powerful winds like the said weather event are still possible.

In January 2018, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute of the country also issued a code red for most parts of the country when a severe weather reached wind gusts of 140 kilometers per hour in the Dutch's southern port of Hoek in Holland, Al Jazeera reported. The said storm in recent years also impacted the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Germany.

Located in the 'temperate zone,' the average temperatures in the Netherlands range from 3 degrees Celsius during the winter and around 17 degrees Celsius during summer.

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