A severe thunderstorm swept across Amsterdam on Saturday evening, June 27, 2026, causing widespread disruptions and a significant roof fire in the De Pijp neighborhood.
Storm Details and Warnings
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued a nationwide code orange warning due to the severe weather system, which brought heavy rain, powerful wind gusts, and large hail.
The intense storm followed a period of extreme weather, coming just a day after Amsterdam was placed under a code red heat warning, which has since been downgraded to code yellow.
Emergency services responded to multiple calls throughout the city regarding localized flooding and storm damage.
Roof Fire in De Pijp
Around 11:00 p. m.
, a major fire broke out on the roof of an apartment building located on Toldwarsstraat in De Pijp, drawing a significant deployment of firefighters while police cordoned off the surrounding street.
A fire department spokesperson provided an update at 11:50 p. m.
, confirming the origin of the blaze while crews continued to battle the flames amidst ongoing lightning.
"Er zijn geen slachtoffers gevallen. De brand is nog niet geblust, daar zijn we nu mee bezig.
De brand zit in het dak," said a spokesperson for the fire department.
Residents of the building managed to evacuate the premises safely on their own before emergency crews arrived, standing outside in the rain while firefighters worked on the roof.
"De mensen zijn zelf naar buiten gegaan, dus dat was niet meer nodig," said the fire department spokesperson.
Flight Disruptions and Public Safety
Weather agency Weeronline urged the public to remain indoors to avoid the hazardous conditions as the core of the storm passed over the capital city.
"Zeer serieuze buien," said Johnny Willemsen of Weeronline.
The storm also caused severe disruptions to aviation infrastructure in the region.
Flight tracking data from Schiphol Airport indicated that nearly all scheduled arrivals experienced delays, though a local resident in Amsterdam-Zuid noted that a few exceptional flights from Ibiza and Vienna still managed low altitude landings over Buitenveldert during the peak of the thunder and lightning.
