Around 120 flights to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's largest, were cancelled or delayed on Sunday as a powerful storm blew in off the Atlantic Ocean with gusts of more than 100 kilometres per hour (62 miles per hour).
The Netherlands Meteorological Institute issued an amber alert for Sunday afternoon as storm Ciara began to batter the Dutch coast after crossing Britain overnight.
All professional Dutch soccer matches were cancelled, along with most outdoor sporting events.
Winds of 100 kilometres per hour were registered just after midday in the Netherlands and gusts were expected to pick yup to 140 kilometres later Sunday.
Public transportation and road traffic could be disrupted by local flooding and downed trees, authorities warned, advising people to stay indoors.
