AMSTERDAM — Hurricane strength winds forced a total of 164 departures and 155 arrivals to be cancelled yesterday at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Air traffic gradually restarted around noon after all flights were suspended for 45 minutes. Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control monitor, said to expect “very high delays all afternoon”.

Even before the stormy weather hit its peak yesterday morning, Schiphol had already reported over 260 flight cancellations, as well as the evacuation of departure halls 1 and 2 due to falling pieces of ceiling. Smaller airports across the country were also affected, including Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Maastricht Aachen Airport, with several delayed arrivals and departures and flight cancellations.

Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code red warning yesterday for much of the country, warning of gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour.

Current information on Schiphol’s website reads that today is expected to be a normal day, “but it can be busier at the airport due to cancellations and rebooking of yesterday’s flights”.

Dutch Twitter had a heyday yesterday, with posts of people and things being blown away by the high winds.

#storm Den Bosch pic.twitter.com/QxVqgaMJ5Q

— Marco (@tensioncoach) January 18, 2018

#Storm bij het Strijkijzer pic.twitter.com/6M8ukNmir9

— Arnout Vos (@arnoutvos) January 18, 2018

Dat een dixie verandert in een levensgevaarlijk projectiel #storm pic.twitter.com/jPLA5IUdsB

— Ivo Evers (@IvoEvers) January 18, 2018