June 2021: Flash floods, powerful lightning strike, and destructive storm hit the Netherlands

On June 29th, flash floods hit the region of South Limburg which lies in the southernmost province of Holland. The region around the Dutch municipalities of Kerkrade and Landgraaf was affected badly. Local observation stations measured more than 100 mm (4 inches) rain. It rained particularly hard between 6 PM and 7 PM. Police have been receiving many calls about water damage in houses and basements.

A resident of Landgraaf writes on Twitter: "Really not normal. Kitchen and cellar just flooded. Roof tiles could not handle the amount of water."

The flooding caused a gas leak in the Dutch village of Eygelshoven. The water washed away part of the sidewalk and damaged a gas pipe. As a precaution, the fire brigade evacuated a supermarket and a care center. Technicians are currently present to seal the leak.

A lot of rain also fell at the observation station of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute at the airport near the Dutch city of Maastricht. At 9 PM more than 75 mm (3 inches) of rain fell. This is more than the monthly average for June. Two videos of the flash floods were posted on Twitter:



Most dangerous type of lightning hits sea near Dutch beach

On Saturday, June 26th, a Dutch weather website Buienradar reported that the most dangerous type of lightning hit the sea near the Dutch beach of Scheveningen, which lies in the South West of the country. The lightning strike caused a loud bang that was heard around 4 PM near the beach. Even people in the Hague heard the loud noise. A resident in the Hague was filming around the time of the strike. She recorded the loud bang:


An analysis showed that the lightning strike had an extremely high current: 267,000 amps. That's close to the maximum of 300,000 amps for this type of lightning and ten times as much as a normal lightning strike.

Destructive storm with severe wind in mid-June

Two weeks ago, the Dutch town of Leersum, located in the center of the country, was hit by a destructive storm and severe wind. A Dutch Facebook group Xtremechasing Stormchasers wondered however whether it was a downburst rather than just severe wind that hit Leersum.

There were almost 800 reports of storm damage. Leersum was hit hardest on Friday, June 18th: At least six houses were declared uninhabitable and thousands of trees were uprooted. A weather man called the weather situation "explosive".

A resident of Leersum tweeted a video of high winds knocking over outdoor furniture and a fence. The video has over 300.000 views:


To stay up to date on the latest extreme weather events, watch our latest SOTT Earth Changes Summary.