Severe winter gales battered the Netherlands Thursday forcing Amsterdam airport to cancel all flights, while all Dutch trains were halted amid winds of up to 140 kilometres (86 miles) an hour. 

"Due to severe weather conditions: all air traffic has been suspended until further notice," Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest flight hubs, said in a tweet. The notice came shortly after the national weather service upped its warning to the highest code red level.