A powerful summer storm has hit the Netherlands Schipol Airport killing two people and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
ADVERTISEMENTA record-breaking summer storm hit the Netherlands and Germany on Wednesday, killing at least two people, blowing trees onto houses and forcing one of Europe's busiest airports to cancel or delay hundreds of flights.
Meteorologists said Storm Poly was the strongest on record to hit the Netherlands in the summer months.
Authorities issued a rare “code red” warning for millions of people in the low-lying nation to stay indoors.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol said they cancelled 400 flights in total.
Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to London and high-speed rail services to the German cities of Cologne and Hamburg were also called off, while many domestic trains were cancelled, Dutch train operator NS said.
Flights and trains had resumed by last evening and no issues are reported by Schiphol or NS this morning (Thursday), though there will be many passengers trying to get onto flights after cancellations.
How bad was Storm Poly?
One gust, on the coast west of Amsterdam, was recorded at just over 145 kilometres per hour (90 mph), the institute said.
Dutch media showed pictures of uprooted trees and wind-blown debris littering streets in Amsterdam, The Hague and the city of Haarlem as the storm barrelled through during the normally busy morning rush hour.
Videos showed trees scattered across highways, toppled on a row of houses in Haarlem and uprooted onto a tram in The Hague.
A 51-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her car in the Dutch city of Haarlem, while a 64-year-old woman died after being struck by a falling tree in the German town of Rhede near the Dutch border, police said.
In Amsterdam, a tree fell on a houseboat moored in one of the city's historic canals. Amsterdam municipality closed parks as the storm hit the Dutch capital.
