The National Flood Threat Coordination Committee (LCO) of Rijkswaterstaat took action on Thursday, because increased water levels are expected along the coast, the IJsselmeer and on the major rivers. Such a situation almost never occurs, according to Rijkswaterstaat.
The storm surge barriers Hollandse IJsselkering in South Holland and the Haringvliet locks will close on Thursday evening. The Ramspolkering near Kampen will probably also follow.
The Kadoetersluis near Flevoland and the Meppelerdiepsluis near Zwartsluis are already closed. Extra attention is paid to the situation in the IJssel-Vecht delta and the coast of Flevoland, for which Rijkswaterstaat has issued code yellow (higher vigilance). The water level in the IJssel near Kampen may rise considerably on Friday, partly due to the strong wind.
The Rhine-Meuse estuary is also being closely monitored, according to Rijkswaterstaat. Code yellow applies at Hoek van Holland. That warning applies to the coast near Delfzijl on Friday. A large number of ferry services to Ameland, Schiermonnikoog and Vlieland will then be canceled because there will also be high tide on the Wadden Sea. Some parking facilities in Holwert are flooded.
Strong wind
The water along the coast rises due to the strong wind. The KNMI has declared code yellow for the coastal provinces on Friday, as well as for Drenthe, Flevoland, Utrecht and the IJsselmeer area. At the same time, the water in the IJsselmeer was already high due to the recent abundant rainfall. And the water level in the major rivers has been rising for several days, partly due to a lot of rain in the Rhine basin. The Rhine reached its highest point at Lobith on Wednesday. On Thursday the flood will pass through Zaltbommel via the Waal. The Lek is at its highest point near Amerongen. The IJssel near Deventer reaches the top on Thursday.
The Noordwaard, a specially constructed overflow area for the Merwede in the Biesbosch, will fill up, Rijkswaterstaat expects. That has only happened in 2020 so far. The new Reevediep, the high-water channel at the head of the IJssel near Kampen, can also flow along.
The LCO does not expect any serious flooding, because all water boards have already taken measures in recent weeks due to the enormous rain showers. Water levels have been reduced as much as possible and all dams are high. The large Rijkswaterstaat dams in the Lower Rhine near Driel and the Lek near Amerongen are also open.