{"id":5291,"date":"2018-01-05T08:52:17","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T08:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=5291"},"modified":"2018-01-05T08:58:33","modified_gmt":"2018-01-05T08:58:33","slug":"5-things-to-know-about-the-first-westerstorm-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/5-things-to-know-about-the-first-westerstorm-of-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things You Should Know About The First Westerstorm of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the last few days, we had some bad\u00a0<em>weer\u00a0<\/em>(weather) in the Netherlands. It is a country infamous for its rain and wind, but this was different. Actually, it was a storm so bad, that the term\u00a0<em>noodweer\u00a0<\/em>(&#8220;emergency weather&#8221;, severe weather) was used. What was going on? Find out below.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>1. Windsnelheden boven 140 kilometer per uur!<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Even uitwaaien op het strand? Doe toch maar niet...\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S-vNSBRZtto?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It was the first <em>westerstorm\u00a0<\/em>(west storm) of the year.\u00a0Besides a lot of\u00a0<em>regen\u00a0<\/em>(rain), this storm also came with a lot of\u00a0<em>wind\u00a0<\/em>(wind). The result is\u00a0<em>hoge golven<\/em> (high waves), but also\u00a0<em>zware windstoten\u00a0<\/em>(strong wind blasts). Wind is measured in\u00a0<em>Beaufort<\/em> (BFT), a scale that ranges from 0 to 12. At 0, it is\u00a0<em>windstil\u00a0<\/em>(no wind), and at 12, you have an\u00a0<em>Orkaan\u00a0<\/em>(hurricane)! These are speeds above 117 km\/h (73 mph)!<\/p>\n<p>Usually, the Netherlands has winds about 4-5 BFT, which translates to less than 50 km\/h (31 mph)\u00a0<em>windsnelheid\u00a0<\/em>(wind speed). In this storm, however,\u00a0<em>windsnelheden\u00a0<\/em>reached the top of the scale, with speeds of up to 141 km\/h (88 mph)!<\/p>\n<p>This was obviously quite dangerous. Such wind speeds can push the water into the country, and therefore quickly lead to flooding. The Netherlands was flooded before, with horrific consequences. An example is the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/zeeland-the-flood-and-the-delta-works\/\"><em>Watersnoodramp van 1953.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So these wind speeds were quite alarming! But the Dutch have some protection.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>2. Alle vijf grote waterkeringen dicht!<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"KIJK TERUG: Sluiting Maeslantkering\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0C06YYfqJ0c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Netherlands is a country which is mostly below the\u00a0<em>zeespiegel\u00a0<\/em>(sea level). This means that\u00a0<em>dijken<\/em> (dykes),\u00a0<em>dammen\u00a0<\/em>(dams),\u00a0<em>waterkeringen\u00a0<\/em>(water barriers) and\u00a0<em>sluizen\u00a0<\/em>(sluices) and a <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/what-are-polders\/\">myriad of other devices<\/a> are required to keep the water out and the Dutch dry.<\/p>\n<p>The Dutch have some of the most advanced water defense systems in the world.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5304\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nl.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oosterscheldekering#\/media\/File:Oosterscheldekering-pohled.jpg\" aria-label=\"1024px Oosterscheldekering Pohled\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5304\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5304\"  alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/1024px-Oosterscheldekering-pohled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/1024px-Oosterscheldekering-pohled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/1024px-Oosterscheldekering-pohled-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/1024px-Oosterscheldekering-pohled-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The <em>Oosterscheldekering<\/em> (Easter Scheldt Flood Barrier), part of the <em>Deltawerken.<\/em> (Image by Vladim\u00edr \u0160iman at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY 3.0)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The severity of the storm was highlighted by the fact that all five large\u00a0<em>watervloedkeringen\u00a0<\/em>(water flood barriers) were closed, namely the\u00a0<em>Hartelkering<\/em>, the <em>Hollandsche IJsselkering<\/em>, the <em>Maeslantkering<\/em>, the <em>Oosterscheldekering<\/em> and the\u00a0 <em>balgstuw<\/em> at Ramspol. It has never happened before that all five closed at the same time!<\/p>\n<p>The first four\u00a0<em>watervloedkeringen<\/em> are part of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/de-afsluitdijk-enclosing-the-sea\/\"><em>Deltawerken\u00a0<\/em>(Delta Works)<\/a>, a project of 13 works that protect the Netherlands from the sea, and also\u00a0declared one of the\u00a0Seven Wonders of the Modern World\u00a0by the\u00a0American Society of Civil Engineers. Some very impressive\u00a0<em>bouwwerken\u00a0<\/em>(structures)!<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s have a closer look at the\u00a0<em>balgstuw\u00a0<\/em>at Ramspol.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<em>balgstuw\u00a0<\/em>(bellow barrage) is a barrier that closes automatically if the water is above 0.5m (3 ft) NAP (Normaal Amsterdams Peil), the Amsterdam Ordnance Datum, a measurement for the water level in the Netherlands. The unique barrage has three big air pillows that blow up to separate the water of the\u00a0<em>Ketelmeer <\/em>(which is home to <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/the-ijsseloog-made-by-dutch-hands\/\">this strange island<\/a>)\u00a0from the water of the\u00a0<em>Zwarte Meer<\/em>. It looks like a big <em>fietsband\u00a0<\/em>(bike tube)! This way,\u00a0<em>overstromingen\u00a0<\/em>(floods) can be prevented. Read (and watch) all about this interesting\u00a0<em>balgstuw<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rijkswaterstaat.nl\/water\/waterbeheer\/bescherming-tegen-het-water\/waterkeringen\/stormvloedkeringen\/stormvloedkering-ramspol.aspx#vp-article123103\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Balgstuw opgeblazen vanwege storm\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tTcD1daSpXs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>3. Code Oranje<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5305\" style=\"width: 1060px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5305\" class=\"wp-image-5305 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1050\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Code Oranje! (<em>Code Orange!<\/em>) (Image by Author)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Rijkswaterstaat<\/em>, the Dutch authority that oversees storms and also controls the large water barriers, issues a warning to other water barrier authorities about the severity of storms and the impact on the NAP, so they can plan ahead. This warning is based on the so-called <em>kleurcodes\u00a0<\/em>(color\u00a0codes) of the <em>KNMI\u00a0<\/em>(Dutch Meteorological Institute), which range from\u00a0<em>groen<\/em> (green),\u00a0<em>geel\u00a0<\/em>(yellow),\u00a0<em>oranje\u00a0<\/em>(orange) to\u00a0<em>rood\u00a0<\/em>(red). Red is the most severe, and is the only code that indicates an official\u00a0<em>weeralarm\u00a0<\/em>(weather alarm).<\/p>\n<p>Usually, the Netherlands has a weather code of either <em>groen\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0<em>geel<\/em>. Those don&#8217;t any noteworthy weather.\u00a0In the recent days, the\u00a0<em>KNMI\u00a0<\/em>issued\u00a0<em>code oranje<\/em>, which is only issued if there will be at least 75 mm of rain in the following 24 hours and wind speeds of more than 100 km\/h (62 mph).<\/p>\n<p>The fact that a\u00a0<em>weeralarm\u00a0<\/em>was not given shows that the authorities were able to quickly get control over the situation. Good job!<\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>4. Treinen en vliegtuigen vertraagd<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vliegtuig maakt doorstart op Schiphol vanwege storm\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/spqdNLzJUp4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Still,\u00a0<em>treinen\u00a0<\/em>(trains) and\u00a0<em>vliegtuigen\u00a0<\/em>(airplanes) were\u00a0<em>vertraagd\u00a0<\/em>(delayed) or even\u00a0<em>geannuleerd\u00a0<\/em>(cancelled). With the winds, it is no wonder that\u00a0<em>vliegtuigen\u00a0<\/em>are delayed, or that it is deemed too dangerous to even get into the air. In the video above, you can see how a pilot during the storm decided that it was too dangerous to land and he made a\u00a0<em>doorstart\u00a0<\/em>(go-around) and try again.<\/p>\n<p>Also trains and cars had issues with the wind, because many falling trees blocked the road. All in all, however, the Dutch came out of the storm unscathed. There was a lot of damaged property, but nobody was severely wounded or killed in the storm.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>5. Hoe onstaan windstoten?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Xcmi-AAap8s<\/p>\n<p>How do such\u00a0<em>windstoten\u00a0<\/em>come into existence? The weatherman of the Dutch NOS news,\u00a0<em>Peter Kuipers Munneke<\/em>, explains.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Did you hear about this storm in your country? If you were in the Netherlands, how did you experience it? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"233\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-350x233.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/01\/orange.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>In the last few days, we had some bad\u00a0weer\u00a0(weather) in the Netherlands. It is a country infamous for its rain and wind, but this was different. Actually, it was a storm so bad, that the term\u00a0noodweer\u00a0(&#8220;emergency weather&#8221;, severe weather) was used. What was going on? Find out below. 1. Windsnelheden boven 140 kilometer per uur!&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/5-things-to-know-about-the-first-westerstorm-of-2018\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":5305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[27711,27714],"tags":[358787,255027,350341,506085],"class_list":["post-5291","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dutch-vocabulary-2","category-news-2","tag-klimaat","tag-storm","tag-weer","tag-windstoten"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5291"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5308,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5291\/revisions\/5308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}