Parts of Belgium awoke to long-awaited snowy scenes this morning which could last until the weekend in parts of the country, according to weather reports.
Photographs of roofs, gardens, streets covered in a thin melting layer of snow have dominated social media on Thursday morning, while other parts of the country remain dry, cold, and snowless.
Sneeuw, instant happiness. 09.35 Maldegem 0,5 graden, lichte sneeuwval.@noodweerbenelux @hln #vrtnws #sneeuw #witlaagje #winter #sneeuwdek #weerbord @Weerbord #vrtweer #weerfoto #sneeuwfoto @Nieuwsblad_be @frankdeboosere @SnowHour pic.twitter.com/TTtcpzYpTw
— Photo C’est La Fie (@Photo_CestLaFie) January 14, 2021
"Where there is a white carpet of snow tonight, it's going to stay there," weatherman Frank Dubocage told HLN. "After all, it's going to freeze next night, down to -2 degrees."
The Agency for Roads and Traffic (AWV) is on standby to send out gritters in the eventuality that melting snow leads to slippery roads. "The snow initially falls on a road surface with positive temperatures, but depending on the intensity of the snowfall, these can drop below/around freezing," the AWV explains. "When snow falls on a cold surface, it can remain and cause slipperiness."
In #Oostenrijk viel er vannacht en valt er vandaag nog veel #sneeuw in grote delen van het land. Dit leidt her en der ook op de weg tot problemen. pic.twitter.com/zrN403N1sB
— Verkeersinfo Europa (@Verkeersinfo_EU) January 14, 2021
As the week continues, snow is expected to fall in more of the country, accompanied by freezing temperatures.
According to the RMI, between 0 and 5 centimetres of snow could fall in Limburg and Antwerp by Friday morning. In the provinces of Liege, Flemish and Walloon Brabant and East Flanders it will be 1 to 7 cm, in Namur and Luxembourg 5 to 20 cm and in Hainaut and West Flanders 0 to 7 cm.
Update #sneeuw 10u58: De sneeuwlaag in het zuidwesten van Vlaanderen dikt nu snel aan. Een samenspel tussen isothermie en de aanvoer van koudere lucht uit het noordoosten zorgen ervoor dat de #sneeuwgrens sterk daalt. pic.twitter.com/io6S0FqQO9
— NoodweerBenelux (@NoodweerBenelux) January 14, 2021
Saturday morning will be cold with a high cover of frost, which will give way to potential snow in the afternoon in the West of the country. By the evening snow is expected in many regions.
By Saturday night, rain is expected, with highs between -3 and -4 degrees in the Ardennes and around 1 degree in the central part of the country.
The Brussels Times
