Storm Boelo floods Wadden coast
High water and strong winds disrupt ferries, traffic and coastal towns.
Follow-up to: Storm Boelo brings Amsterdam festival to an early end Saturday, 24 October 2026, 21:44
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Storm Boelo brought high water and traffic problems along the Wadden coast on Monday morning. On Texel, the harbour at Oudeschild was flooded and the ferry service between Den Helder and Texel was suspended.
The KNMI warned on Monday morning of strong wind gusts in the Wadden region. According to the institute, westerly winds there could reach 75 to 90 kilometres per hour. The warning applied in the early morning and was expected to ease afterwards.
On Texel, the combination of the storm and high water caused flooding in Oudeschild. According to local reports, the harbour, roads, bicycle sheds and car parks were flooded. Rijkswaterstaat expected water levels of about 2.8 metres above NAP during the night into Monday.
TESO, the ferry service between Den Helder and Texel, was unable to sail on Monday morning. Travellers had to expect cancellations while water levels remained too high. Water also rose on the quays in Harlingen, according to reports about the storm.
The disruption is not unrelated to the wind. The KNMI reported force 8 winds for several coastal districts, including Texel, Harlingen, Rottum and Delfzijl. Force 9 winds were expected in parts of the North Sea. Such conditions can temporarily restrict quays, ferry services and shipping.
The effects on the rest of the country are smaller than during the storm’s most severe phase. The KNMI expects the wind to ease on Monday morning. There is still no clarity about any further disruption to traffic.
The situation shows that storm damage on the coast is not caused by wind alone. High water levels combined with strong winds can temporarily make harbours, roads and access routes unusable. It had not yet been established on Monday morning whether buildings or infrastructure had suffered lasting damage.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is supported by the KNMI warning and two public news sources. Unconfirmed damage claims were deliberately omitted.
- confirmed The KNMI warned on 26 October of strong wind gusts in the Wadden region. — This is stated in the current KNMI warning. source
- confirmed The harbour at Oudeschild was flooded. — Reported by Rodi and NLnow. source
- confirmed The TESO ferry service was unable to sail on Monday morning. — Reported by Rodi. source
- confirmed Rijkswaterstaat expected about 2.8 metres above NAP. — Quoted in the local reporting. source
Editor's note
The wind warning and water levels were confirmed by the KNMI and local reports. The extent of any lasting damage was not yet known.Sources
The story so far
- Saturday, 24 October 2026, 21:44 Storm Boelo brings Amsterdam festival to an early end
- Monday, 26 October 2026, 06:55 Storm Boelo floods Wadden coast (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „storm boelo”
- de Volkskrant — „storm boelo”
- RTL Nieuws — „storm boelo”