While the worst of it is over, a code yellow warning for slipperiness on the roads is still in place for all of Belgium on Friday, while (international) train traffic is still disrupted due to ice on the tracks.
The Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) does not expect any more snow on Friday, but the wintry precipitation of the past few days and the persistent freezing weather can still make it dangerously slippery on the road – especially in the East Flanders and West Flanders provinces, where it snowed lightly last night.
"Watch out for snow residue and ice patches. It can also be slippery due to freezing fog," the RMI announced on social media. "There is a lot of moisture on the frozen road surface which can cause ice patches. Keep your distance and moderate your speed. Our gritting services will re-route where necessary," the Agency for Roads and Traffic added.
After two days of disruptions on the national railway network due to the snow, train traffic is still affected by the wintry weather: several trains are cancelled or delayed, mainly due to black ice on the tracks or defective equipment caused by the freezing temperatures.
The disruption is greatest between Kortrijk and Zottegem and between Tongeren and Hasselt, announced railway operator SNCB, which expects the disruption at the tracks to continue throughout most of the day.
The Eurostar services between Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany are affected as well, with a number of delays and cancelled trains on Friday. "Because of adverse weather conditions, the Eurostar traffic is heavily disrupted on Friday. We advise you to cancel or reschedule your trip," the Eurostar website reads. Trains to and from London are not affected.
More than 10,000 tonnes of salt
The gritting services are closely monitoring the condition of the roads and cycle paths and driving out where necessary. "We do our best to make the roads ice-free, but we do not always succeed everywhere. Especially on the smaller roads, we do not always have visibility and that is why this morning, together with the RMI, we are again calling for caution."
A man walks in the snow in Habay-la-Neuve on Thursday 18 January 2024. Credit: Belga / Julien Warnand
The gritting services were already very active this week; since Sunday evening, the Roads and Traffic Agency used more than 10,000 tonnes of salt to keep roads and cycle paths free of snow and ice.
On Friday evening and night, it will be cold again with general frost across the country. Minimum temperatures will be between -1°C at the coast and -15°C locally in the southeast of the country (and even lower in some Ardennes valleys), the RMI said.
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Freezing fog is also possible on Saturday morning in the south of the Ardennes. In most other regions, the day starts sunny, but from the North Sea, high and later medium clouds gradually slide over the country.
In any case, it will remain dry. In many places, it remains freezing, between -3°C in the High Fens and -1°C in the centre – meaning caution on icy roads remains advised.
