Overview
- A sequence of intense thunderstorms on the night of Saturday into Sunday prompted the KNMI to issue a code orange warning before storms produced near‑continuous lightning and heavy gusts.
- Lightning started dozens of fires that destroyed a thatched rijksmonument farm in Snelrewaard and a barn in Toornwerd, killed animals and left several buildings badly damaged.
- A lightning strike near Gouda knocked out railway signals and switch controls, forcing ProRail to suspend trains to Rotterdam and The Hague while technicians carry out repairs that could take days.
- Regional fire brigades used surge protocols to respond to the high number of calls and asked people to reserve 112 for life‑threatening emergencies as crews also worked on flood, roof and fallen‑tree damage.
- Authorities confirmed at least one storm‑related fatality at the Paterswoldsemeer and multiple injuries; investigations, nablussen and infrastructure restoration are ongoing and may produce local hazards such as asbestos on some sites.