NOS News•today, 4:37 PM
Heavy thunderstorms passed over the country last night. Many people were startled awake by the thunder and lightning and recorded lightning and strikes. Below is a selection of weather photos that we received, including via NOS Eyewitness.
Jacinda Bakker was still sitting on the couch when the storm started. “I thought I’d go outside and take a look.” While she was standing there she took this photo in her backyard in Biddinghuizen.
Jan from Delft took the photo below from his balcony. He woke up with a start and immediately took action. “This lightning was accompanied by a gigantic bang.” He does not know whether the impact also had consequences.
Jelle Bakker gets excited about thunder and went out to take pictures. He made this at the end of the evening in Harderwijk. “The storm lasted about 45 minutes there.”
In Nederhorst den Berg in North Holland, lightning struck the roof of a house. Resident Ria tells regional broadcaster NH that she woke up to unusual light and noise. When she went to take a look with her husband, she saw flames in the attic.
They quickly went outside with their dog and cat. “We all came out safe and sound. We are incredibly lucky.” The roof was partly blown away by the fire.
Things were also going crazy in the The Hague region. According to Omroep West, many people were awakened by the thunder. Sixteen apartments in a city center were evacuated after a fire. The fire brigade is not sure whether lightning was the cause, but says it is quite possible.
Take some getting used to
According to NOS weatherwoman Roosmarijn Knol, the thunderstorm was no more intense than usual. “We have to get used to it again. We haven’t had a very active thunderstorm for quite a long time.”
Last night’s heavy thunderstorms mainly passed over the Randstad, from north to south. “Because many people live there, there were also many sightings.”
On this map you can see the lightning discharges of last evening (dark) and night (light):
According to the weather woman, we can expect more thunderstorms in the coming days. “We are coming to the time of year when it starts to get warmer. You see that the battleground between warm and cold air produces more thunderstorms.”
There is still a chance of thunder tonight, but less than last night and only in the southeast of the country.
