A number of streets close to the river in Rotterdam and Dordrecht have been flooded following the combination of strong winds and high tides, according to media reports on Friday.

The water is up to knee-high in parts of Rotterdam close to the rivers and areas of Dordrecht’s historic centre are under water. There are also reports of localised flooding in nearby Maasluis.

A temporary dyke on the Oude Maas river under the Botlekbrug broke through over a three-metre stretch on Friday morning, leading to traffic diversions. The dyke had been built because of roadworks on the bridge.

In Zeeland, the water level along the main sea dykes reached 3.99 metres above normal, the highest recorded since the great storm of 1953 which killed nearly two thousand people.

Weather forecasters say winds remain strong in coastal areas and there will localised snow and hail showers at times.

Damage

The emergency services received 2,700 calls about damage during the height of the storm, as it moved over the Netherlands between 16.00 and 20.00 hours. In total, over 3,700 damage reports were made by 23.00 hours.

Insurers put the damage on Friday at between €5m and €10m, excluding damage caused by the floods.

One train driver was slightly injured when his train was hit by an advertising hoarding which had blown onto the tracks in Gelderland province. He was hit by flying glass as the hoarding smashed through the window.

Airline KLM has cancelled 20 flights from Schiphol airport on Friday morning because of the expected continuing bad weather, RTL news reported.

The passengers have been informed but KLM is recommending passengers keep an eye on the website for up-to-date information. On Thursday, the airline cancelled 42 flights because of the weather.

Rail services began to return to normal on Thursday evening after widespread disruption in the north of the country. NS on Friday reported no specific problems due to the Thursday’s wind.