A wave of snowy weather made its way into Belgium on Tuesday, with several residents expressing joy and disbelief after some parts of the country awoke under a few centimetres of snow.
Towns and cities in western Flanders rose to see streets, trees, cars and rooftops had been blanketed by the snow, with several taking to social media to share footage of their snowy surroundings.
In the Flemish Brabant periphery of Brussels, the snow showers overnight gave way to a snowy cover thick enough to prompt some residents to dust off their snow sledges, such as a family in Zemst, near Mechelen.
Residents in the outskirts of Leuven and in Belgium's western Limburg province also reported some coverage, with one user sharing an image of a snow-covered "winter wonderland" playground.
In an expression of his disbelief of seeing the snow make its way into Belgium in a mostly mild winter, another user on Twitter decking out a short poem to express his wonder over "the first snow."
"I woke up slowly, rubbing my eyes. I couldn't believe it, but from the windowpane, gently fell the first snow," he wrote in the opening verses, before closing off with: "I feel so happy in the first snow."
Dat worden natte voeten straks als ik met de fiets vertrek. pic.twitter.com/VXE7EOLVus
— Veva Daniels (@VevaDaniels) February 26, 2020
South of Flanders, the snow also sprinkled parts of Wallonia, with traffic authorities warning of difficult driving conditions around the city of Liège.
Like their Flemish counterparts, residents of the Walloon city also got a peek of snow-covered roads and rooftops, with similar sights also reported in Helecines, a town near Wavre.
In Brussels, the snow build-up was lighter, with the effects of the overnight snowfall mostly visible in the leafy southern municipalities of Uccle and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
Weather services issued a yellow alert over slippery conditions for those hitting the roads in most parts of the country, with one Twitter user in Flanders noting that "wet feet" were expected when she hopped on her bike to start her day.
Forecasts for Wednesday say that the sky will remain mostly covered and that intermitted showers, including of snow or slush, could still be expected.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
