Dutch welcome new year without national fireworks show

THE HAGUE, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch are welcoming the turn of the year with disappointment as national fireworks shows planned at major cities have been scrapped because of strong wind and rain.

The municipality of Rotterdam announced on Saturday that a national fireworks show in the city center has been canceled due to wind gusts of around 75 km per hour.

The national children's fireworks show, which was supposed to start at 6 p.m. local time in Rotterdam, has also been canceled. Shows planned at two other locations in the broader Rotterdam region were also dropped.

In the Hague, the municipal authorities also withdrew a traditional fireworks show at the Hofvijver next to the national parliament due to strong wind and rain.

Two fireworks shows were canceled in Hilversum, a city in the province of North Holland, and a drone and laser show in Apeldoorn in the province of Gelderland, has been dropped by the authorities, citing heavy rains which affect the visibility of laser beams.

In capital Amsterdam, a fireworks and drone show that was to be held at the A'DAM Tower on Saturday evening has been canceled.

The municipality of Tilburg in the province of North Brabant also announced that four fireworks shows in the city will not take place due to strong gusts of wind.

Tilburg Mayor Theo Weterings has expressed his disappointment. "It goes without saying that safety comes first... but it is necessary."

Similar shows have also been canceled in other Dutch cities such as Apeldoorn, Zoetermeer, Katwijk and Akkrum.

Across the Netherlands, strong winds and rains accompany an unusually warm weather with the maximum temperature passing 15 degrees Celsius in several places.

It is reportedly the warmest New Year's Eve ever measured since the start of measurements by the weather institute KNMI in 1901.