The weather on Sunday will be variable with showers, sleet or snow in the High Ardennes, and temperatures ranging from 1°C to 7°C, according to the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI). In some areas, a code yellow weather warning has been issued and the 1722 number activated due to the risk of storms and flooding.
At the coast, there will be a strong westerly wind. Cloud cover will vary, bringing more frequent showers.
In the High Ardennes, these showers will turn wintry, and there may be snow above 600 metres.
Some sleet and isolated thunder are possible, especially along the coast.
Maximum temperatures will vary from 1°C in the High Ardennes to 7°C at the coast.
Westerly winds will be moderate to fairly strong, with gusts between 50 and 70 km/h. At the coast, the winds will be strong to very strong from the west-northwest, with gusts reaching up to 80 km/h.
Storm and flooding risk
The 1722 number for non-emergency fire brigade assistance was activated on Sunday morning due to the risk of storms or flooding, the Home Affairs Ministry said in a press release.
The RMI has issued a code yellow wind warning for the coast, from 20:00 on Sunday until 04:00 on Monday morning. It has also issued a yellow warning for slippery conditions in the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg, from 12:00 on Sunday until 14:00 on Monday.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, ten interventions linked to storms were reported on Sunday morning. These mainly concerned falling branches or roof tiles and blocked drains.
The local fire brigade in Liège carried out around 15 operations due to strong winds, notably in Liège, Esneux, Tilff, Fléron, Flémalle and Sart Tilman.
In addition, firefighters from the Hesbaye emergency zone responded to cables that had been ripped out in Geer, in the Warem region. This resulted in a road closure. Emergency services were also called out to Verlaine and Oteppe.
No injuries were reported in any of these regions.
The Belgian coast in Blankenberge during storm 'Odette', Saturday 26 September 2020. Credit: Belga / Kurt Desplenter
The 1722 number has been activated to prevent emergency lines from becoming overloaded. In the event of storm or water damage requiring fire brigade assistance, call this number. If a life is in danger, call 112.
The Ministry also recommends using the electronic hotline 1722.be. This is "the most direct way of requesting assistance from the fire brigade in situations where no life is in danger."
A request sent to the electronic counter is forwarded directly to the fire brigade, whereas a call to 1722 first passes through the operators of the 112 emergency centres, who then transfer it onto the fire brigade.
