The KNMI will warn earlier and more specifically about dangerous weather. From the end of this month, reports will be issued fifteen minutes in advance in areas where heavy showers are approaching.
The well-known color codes yellow, orange and red are also increasingly focused on smaller regions instead of entire provinces.
According to meteorologists, this change is a logical step. After all, extreme weather does not respect topographical boundaries. “They are made by people and the weather rarely has an effect on this. The provincial border between Groningen and Drenthe is a good example,” agrees RTV Drenthe weatherman Hans Nienhuis.
“That border runs straight through the Peat Colonies at a place where the landscape is the same on both sides. The weather does not know anything about this, but the landscape change between the Drenthe Plateau and the Peat Colonies does play a role in the weather and we do not see this on the warning maps.”
Until now, warnings are often issued for an entire province, while in reality bad weather is regularly limited to a much smaller area. This was visible in recent days in Drenthe, for example, where parts of the province experienced heavy showers, while other areas barely noticed the stormy weather.
Thanks to amended regulations, the KNMI has more options to tailor warnings more precisely to areas where risks actually exist. Another change has also taken effect: weather warnings may now be issued 48 hours in advance, instead of 24 hours.
According to weatherman Nienhuis, the new design is better suited to how weather systems behave. “Weatherwise, ‘the coast’, ‘the interior’ or ‘south of’ has more meaning than a collection of provinces with their bizarre shapes. This makes it more realistic to indicate where things are going.”
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