Exactly two hundred years ago, the largest natural disaster of the nineteenth century occurred in the Netherlands. From February 3 to 5, 1825, a northwesterly storm combined with spring tides caused massive flooding around the Zuiderzee and beyond, from the Danish Nordfriesland to Flanders. In the Netherlands, the disaster claimed 379 lives and tens of thousands of livestock, causing significant damage especially in Friesland and Overijssel. What triggered this disaster, and what were its consequences?
Watch the animation of the storm surge of 1825:
Persistent Stormy Weather
The reconstruction of the wind field indicates a storm field with winds between 190 and 220 km/h on February 4 over the North Sea
After a period of strong winds from the west and southwest at the end of January 1825, a storm forms over the Atlantic Ocean, moving towards northern Sweden and gaining strength. A new storm then develops over the Atlantic Ocean, and a day later the storms merge, causing the pressure to drop even further. The associated wind comes from the north-northwest and is very powerful. The reconstruction of the wind field indicates a storm field with winds between 190 and 220 km/h on February 4 over the North Sea. At the City Water Office in Amsterdam, the air pressure drops, the temperature falls to around freezing (figure 1), and the rain changes to snow showers. The extreme weather persists on February 5.
Excessive Rain and Saturated Dikes
The prolonged stormy weather with winds from the same direction pushes seawater towards the North Sea coast, the German Bight, the Wadden Sea, and the Zuiderzee. The strong wind even causes a difference in water level between the west and east sides of the Zuiderzee: at the City Water Office in Amsterdam, the water level in the IJ rises to 2.5 meters, while at Genemuiden and Schokland, it reaches 3.4 meters.
The high water coincides with spring tides on February 3 – a dangerous combination that proves fatal for many dikes weakened by previous storms and excessive rain. Dikes break or prove too low, leading to flooding on the Wadden Islands, in parts of West Brabant, the Eem Valley in Utrecht, and along the Zuiderzee coast in North Holland, with areas around Zaandam and Purmerend submerged. The most extensive flooding occurs in Friesland and Overijssel. The water even reaches Drenthe, where in Meppel, the water stands about 2.5 meters high in the streets.
Friesland is nearly two-thirds underwater, but it is the province of Overijssel that mourns the greatest number of victims
Friesland is nearly two-thirds underwater, but it is the province of Overijssel that mourns the greatest number of victims: of the 379 drowned, 305 are from Overijssel. The total damage from the 1825 storm disaster is estimated at 29 million guilders, equivalent to about 500 million euros. An astronomical amount for that time.