A storm is named after Gerrit Hiemstra. It is a tribute to the departing weatherman of the NOS.
Rob Trip broke the news in the NOS Achuurjournaal. “Behind me is the man who will bring it back to you,” he said, pointing to Hiemstra. “But also the man to whom we told that the KNMI will announce tomorrow that a storm will be named after him,” Trip said.
The names are assigned to storms in a European context in alphabetical order. “When it’s G’s turn, it will be storm Gerrit, because of the approaching departure. A gift from us and from the KNMI.”
The idea came from Journaal presenter Simone Weimans, who heard Hiemstra say during storm Poly in July that he would find it funny to have a storm name. Weimans called in weatherwoman Willemijn Hoebert, who took it to the KNMI.
Suggested by visitors
“I emailed the KNMI and asked if we could give it as a farewell present as presenters. They immediately responded very enthusiastically.” According to a spokesman for the KNMI, Gerrit’s name was also frequently suggested by visitors to an open day that the weather institute recently held.
The names of the European storms are determined together with the Irish and British weather services. “It goes in alphabetical order and in September we will start again at the A. So it depends on the number of storms when Gerrit’s turn is.”
Listened to it
Actually, the news would not be known until tomorrow, but because the British and Irish are already announcing the new storm names tonight, the weather team was afraid that it would leak out already. “That’s why Gerrit had to hear it today,” says Hoebert.
“But he wasn’t actually on duty today, so we framed him. He was told I couldn’t work today and there was no other replacement. Then he grumbled to come to the editorial office.”
Hiemstra was “very surprised when he was met by the team after his weather talk on the radio and heard the news.” Hoebert thinks that Hiemstra will have to wait a while for his gift. “I don’t expect storm Gerrit before the Christmas holidays.”
Greenhouse gases
The 62-year-old Hiemstra started working for NOS in December 1998, first as a substitute and later as a permanent employee on a freelance basis. Since then he has broadcast the weather forecast on radio and television on average two days a week and has regularly contributed to NOS.nl and the NOS app.
Hiemstra will leave in September. After that, he wants to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions with a new company.
- Gerrit Hiemstra stops after 24 years as a weatherman at the NOS
