The strong winds on the Dutch coast during the New Year festivities reached gale force nine on the Wadden Sea island of Vlieland, meaning it was the first official storm of the year, weather bureau Weeronline said on Wednesday.

The 2025 storm is the first storm at New Year since 1995 and the seventh since records began in 1901, Weeronline said. The strongest recorded gust was in the Frisian village of Stavoren, where the winds reached up to 95 kph.

Weeronline says the strong winds will continue at the coast and may pick up in speed towards the early afternoon. The forecast led earlier to the traditional Scheveningen New Year swim being cancelled.

The code yellow weather warning remains in force for all coastal regions apart from Zeeland. Rain is also likely in the west from late morning onwards.

Thursday and Friday are likely to be a mixture of showers and sunny spells and it will be a lot colder with the likelihood of light frosts at night. There may also be some snow or sleet on Sunday and Monday, the KNMI weather bureau said.

The KNMI’s longer term forecast sees the chilly weather continuing with wintry showers well into January.