Boats in Amsterdam were plucked from the water and transported over several fields before crashing down

Boats in Amsterdam were plucked from the water and transported over several fields before crashing down

The year 1672 in particular is an infamous one in Dutch history. It is known as the "Disaster Year", because it marked an invasion of the Dutch Republic by forces from France, England and regions of what is now Germany.

"The French took all the money there was. Utrecht was left completely broke," says Gerard van der Schrier at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute in De Bilt.

The city was left uniquely ill-prepared for a major natural disaster. Which is unfortunate, given that two years later exactly such a disaster struck.

"The Ice Skaters Utrecht" by Jan van Goyen (Credit: Peter van Evert/Alamy)

Wednesday 1 August 1674 was a typical warm and humid summer's day in northwest Europe. Towards the end of the day, thunderstorms developed – again, not atypical weather for a humid summer's day.

But the storms escalated and escalated. By about 6pm a devastating tempest had begun tearing its way north across the region, leaving a wake of extensive destruction in its wake.