Storm Boelo kills a cyclist in Amsterdam, KLM reports 149 cancelled Schiphol flights

Storm Boelo sweeps the Netherlands

Storm Boelo, which the weather service classes as the first official autumn storm of the year, kept blowing across the Netherlands on Sunday 25 October 2026. Gusts reached 115 km/h at IJmuiden and 111 km/h at Den Helder, the highest figures reported for the storm. On Vlieland the wind averaged force 9 for a full hour, the threshold meteorologists use for an official storm. On Friday 23 October storm Austen passed without that status, reaching force 8. Between Friday evening and Saturday morning nearly 50 millimetres of rain fell in some places, while Austen caused heavy disruption and power outages in France and the United Kingdom.

IJmuiden115

Den Helder111

IJmuiden

115 km/h

Den Helder

111 km/h

Data from the article text

Deaths and injuries from falling trees

A cyclist died after a tree fell on him on the Sloterweg in Nieuw-West, Amsterdam. Police said the victim's identity was still being established and that it was not yet clear when the tree came down. Emergency services were alerted around 17:20 on Sunday, and a trauma helicopter was among the units sent to the scene. Earlier in the weekend, two trees fell onto moving cars in Amsterdam. On Saturday 24 October, around 23:30, a gust brought a tree down onto a Toyota on the Molenaarsweg in Amsterdam-Noord, seriously injuring the driver, and firefighters had to saw the tree apart to free the car. On Friday 23 October a tree struck a car on the Anne Frankstraat in the Plantagebuurt, and that driver was unhurt. On Sunday a tree also landed on a car on the A7 near Midwolde, damaging the windscreen, but the driver was not hurt and the crash caused a long traffic jam.

Search for a missing watersporter off Scheveningen

A search for a watersporter off the coast at Scheveningen began on Sunday afternoon. The Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden said the person was reported missing around 14:00 and was last seen between Kijkduin and the Scheveningen pier. The watersporter was reportedly on a trip from Hoek van Holland to Noordwijk and had disappeared from a group, and was described as a possibly missing surfer or kiter. Searchers kept going as darkness fell, but the operation was later suspended because wind and high waves made it too difficult. The safety region said the search would continue for as long as it remained possible.

Damage in The Hague, Veenendaal and at Schiphol

In The Hague, building materials including large sheets of insulation blew off an apartment block on the Jacob Jordaensplein on Sunday evening and landed on parked cars. At least two vehicles suffered considerable damage to the windscreen and bonnet, and the street was closed while firefighters removed loose panels. In Veenendaal, part of the roof of the event centre The Maxx collapsed during the storm, causing serious water damage, and the centre may remain largely closed for months. At Schiphol, dozens of flights were cancelled on Sunday because the westerly wind meant not all runways could be used. KLM put the number of cancelled flights to and from Schiphol at 149 and said all affected passengers had been informed on Saturday and rebooked onto the next available option.

“We find it very unpleasant for the passengers who are affected by this.”

Schiphol said airlines were adjusting their schedules to the wind and passengers should plan for disruption.

“Airlines are adjusting their flight schedules to this. Travellers should take cancellations and delays into account.”

What comes next

The KNMI expected gusts in the coastal provinces to persist into the night from Sunday to Monday, 26 October. Conditions are forecast to ease in the following days, with Monday the most changeable day of the week, bringing wind and afternoon rain at 12 to 14 degrees. On Tuesday 27 October, wind from the south is expected to bring 15 degrees in the north and nearly 20 degrees in the south, with rain only late in the day. From Wednesday 28 October a few days of calmer autumn weather are forecast, with sunshine, dry conditions and 13 to 15 degrees during the day. The Into the Woods festival at the NDSM site was stopped an hour early on Saturday 24 October because of the wind, and no outdoor parties are planned there on Sunday 25 October.