Netherlands Has Longest Ever Traffic Jams Because of Heavy Snow

The Netherlands had its longest traffic jams ever today during the morning rush hour because of heavy snowfall, according to Dutch motoring association ANWB.

The total length of vehicle backups on motorway and multilane highways in the country was more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) at 8:30 a.m., Arnoud Broekhuis, traffic manager at The Hague-based ANWB, said in an interview today. The second- longest was on Feb. 8, 1999, at 975 kilometers, Broekhuis said. “The morning rush will seamlessly go over into an evening rush,” he said.

Several flights were canceled or delayed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, according to the airport’s website. Train traffic in some parts of the Randstad area, which encompasses the four largest cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, was also disrupted, according to Dutch Railways NS. Trams in cities including Amsterdam and The Hague also suffered delays.

The national KNMI weather institute hadn’t issued a weather alert for today. In cities such as The Hague snow was as high as 20 centimeters (7.9 inches), Broekhuis said. The ANWB advised people to stay home. “Some will spend their entire day in the car and won’t get anywhere,” Broekhuis said.

Read more: Netherlands Has Longest Ever Traffic Jams Because of Heavy Snow - Bloomberg