Many reports of flooding have been received in a short time, the police in East Brabant reported on Sunday afternoon. Especially from the Eindhoven, Valkenswaard and Veldhoven areas, many reports come in. It is not known exactly how many reports are involved.
In Veldhoven, the police are calling on the area around Dorpstraat to be avoided for the time being, but in other places it is also advised to stay indoors “if possible”. People who do have to go outside are asked to be careful.
According to the Brabant-Zuidoost Safety Region, the inconvenience caused by the heavy rain showers could last for even longer. They warn of dangerous situations, such as manhole covers that can wash away due to an abundance of water. “Be alert when you go outside,” said the security region.
The KNMI issued code yellow for the whole of the Netherlands on Sunday due to thunderstorms. The showers will move from south to north across the country and a lot of precipitation can fall. The weather institute already warned that there was a local risk of flooding. Code yellow no longer applies to the entire country.
‘Never seen so much precipitation in one day since 1996’
Limburg also has to deal with flooding. Images on social media show how streets in Echt and Roermond are flooded. More than 30 millimeters of rain has already fallen in some places in the south around 6.45 pm, Weerplaza reports on Sunday evening. Locally it is even 70 millimeters. That is more than the amount of precipitation that normally falls throughout the month of June.
Moreover, never before has so much precipitation been measured in one day as on Sunday, Weer.nl says. In total, 48 millimeters of precipitation fell until about 8.45 pm. The old record was on August 28, 1996, when 47.1 millimeters fell. In Eindhoven there have been only seven days on which more than 40 millimeters of rain rained.
Rijkswaterstaat reports that several highways in Brabant and Limburg are also affected by the flooding. As a result, some lanes are closed. Motorists should expect some delays.
A lot of flooding in Belgium too
There is also heavy rainfall in Belgium. Rail traffic has been halted in various places in the country, rail manager Infrabel reports. The heavy rain showers also cause problems for motorists, several roads have been closed.
In the cities of Liège and Namur, several streets are flooded and water has entered a number of homes. In some places there are mudslides, the Belgian channel reports VRT Sunday.