During heavy thunderstorms in South Limburg on Tuesday, a record-breaking amount of precipitation fell within 24 hours.
The showers caused severe flooding and disruptions in the province. Several streets in Landgraaf, Kerkrade, and Eygelshoven were underwater and the extreme weather also affected train travel in the region, reports NU.nl.
The KNMI issued a code orange weather alert for the province of Limburg. At 10:30 PM last night, that warning was downgraded to a code yellow.
Meanwhile in the Netherlands… #floods after extreme rain fall..
How many more extreme weather events do we need to get serious on #ClimateAction?
Straten in Zuid-Limburg blank door zware regenval, KNMI kondigt code oranje af https://t.co/dyLQOAGmfE via @NOS
— Sustainable Warrior💙🌎 (@BonnieBouma) June 29, 2021
What caused the storm?
The large amount of rain fell in Limburg because heavy thunderstorms moved over the country at a very low speed and there was no wind to blow the showers away. Typical Netherlands — the wind will ruin your beach day, but when you actually need it, it’s not there.
Extreme weather
This type of weather event happens once every fifty years. During a normal rain shower, Limburg’s provincial capital Maastricht has about four to five millimeters of rainfall. Yesterday, a record-breaking 87.2 millimeters of rain fell on the city.
Prior to that, the record high had been 82.7 millimeters of precipitation, which fell on June 18, 1966. Last year, Maastricht received 719 millimeters of rainfall in total.
According to meteorologist Wilfred Janssen, much more rain fell in other parts of the region. Montfort recorded 91 millimeters, while Eygelshoven was pelted with more than 100 millimeters.
The weatherman Peter Kuipers Munneke explains to the NOS that while the Netherlands often experiences heavy rain, it is especially risky in Limburg because the province has hills. When the water flows down the hills, it can cause “large-scale flooding at the lowest point”, posing a risk to village centers.
Don’t call 112!
The emergency services were so overwhelmed by the downpour that police posted on Twitter that people should only call 112 in the event of a life-threatening situation.
Were you affected by the storm? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: MrTwister/Depositphotos
