Code yellow has been issued across the entire of Belgium for thunderstorms, as intense rain showers accompanied by hail, as well as strong gusts of wind, are expected in some regions. The warning level will remain in force until at least Thursday afternoon.
While the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) announced a code yellow for heat on Tuesday, as temperatures rose to 32°C in the centre of Belgium, it has now issued the same warning level for thunderstorms across the entire country.
"There is already a local chance of thunderstorms this morning," the RMI noted on Wednesday. "However, the probability increases from this afternoon until Thursday evening. From then, showers could be especially intense with hail and heavy wind gusts in some regions. As for precipitation amounts, more than 20 mm per hour could fall in some places."
Code yellow – the lowest warning level – will come into force from around 14:00 on Wednesday in Luxembourg and will be extended to Hainaut and Namur from 16:00. Later, from 21:00, it will also come into force in Limburg, Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant, Brussels and Liège, while from 23:00, code yellow will apply to the whole country.
Prolonged code yellow
As Thursday will remain unstable with a chance of localised rain or thunderstorms throughout the day, the warning level is expected to stay in place until at least 15:00 on Thursday in the Brussels Region, and until 21:00 in the Namur and Luxembourg provinces, making this a longer-than-usual warning period.
In light of the thunderstorm warning, the Ministry of the Interior has activated the emergency number 1722, to avoid overloading the emergency services.
Anyone who has suffered storm or water damage and requires assistance from the fire brigade can either call 1722, or seek help via the e-desk, which is said to be the fastest method. The 112 emergency number should only be called for potentially life-threatening situations.
For now, Brussels Environment has not decided to close Brussels parks and cemeteries as a precaution, as wind gusts are not expected to exceed 70 km/h, however, it continues to analyse the risk. Meanwhile, people in the region have been advised to take caution around trees in any case due to potential falling branches if winds do pick up.
Towards the end of Thursday, it will become drier from the west, and by Friday, the weather will turn sunny again with at most a few clouds, and highs of 25°C.
