Storm Boelo becomes the Netherlands' first official storm of 2026

Storm Boelo, which is currently raging in the Netherlands, is officially the first storm of 2026 and the first meteorological autumn. On Friday, Storm Austen had also swept across the country, but it did not meet the criteria for an official storm, Weeronline said in a press release.

The country’s previous storm occurred almost exactly one year ago, when, from October 23 to 24, 2025, Storm Benjamin swept across the country. A total of five storms were recorded in 2025.

In 2024, there were seven storms. In 2023, the country experienced not only a spring storm but also a summer storm, with the overall number of storms being six. In 2022, five storms were recorded, with all taking place between January 31 and February 20.

Meteorologists classify an event as an official storm when the average wind speed reaches a Beaufort force of none over a full hour. For example, if winds average a Beaufort force of none between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., but not between noon and 1 p.m., the event does not qualify as an official storm. It can instead be labelled as a temporary storm or a temporary period of storm-force nine winds.

Storm Austen brought substantial rainfall, with between 30 and 50 millimeters falling across the southern and central parts of the country. That is equivalent to approximately half a month’s worth of rainfall in just 24 hours.

A code yellow warning also remains in the coastal parts of the country on Sunday. In the meantime, at least dozens of flights have been canceled from Schiphol on Sunday. Many easyJet, Lufthansa, and KLM flights have been canceled as winds made it not possible to operate some of the runways.