The Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) has issued a yellow rain warning from early Friday afternoon until midday Saturday.
The RMI expects heavy rain in most parts of Belgium in the coming hours, and an active weather front will move across the country from 13:00 on Friday until 15:00 on Saturday.
During this period, rainfall totals are expected to range between 25 and 40 litres per square metre, with slightly higher amounts possible locally, particularly in the provinces of Luxembourg, Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Flemish Brabant, Namur, Liège and Brussels, the RMI reports.
In other provinces, rainfall totals are estimated to reach between 10 and 20 litres per square metre, with slightly higher amounts locally. The coast and the provinces of East and West Flanders will be spared from precipitation.
Heavy rain on 9 July in Belgium. Credit: Belga/ Hatim Kaghat
Emergency number activated
The Interior Ministry issued a storm and flood warning on Friday and activated the special emergency number 1722 and the website 1722.be for non-urgent fire service interventions. The measure aims to prevent emergency lines from being overwhelmed by non-urgent calls.
It is advised to use call 1722 for storm or water damage requiring fire service assistance. For life-threatening situations, dial 112. The website is intended for non-urgent interventions.
Requests made through the website are sent directly to the fire service, while calls to 1722 go through emergency operators first.
