Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected in several places across Belgium, including Brussels. Code yellow has been issued and the helpline 1722 has been activated for storm or flooding damage.
While Thursday started sunny and relatively warm, fog soon settled over Brussels and conditions are due to get worse during the day. Today's atmosphere is very unstable, according to the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI), bringing rain or thunderstorms during the afternoon.
The RMI has issued a code yellow from 14:00 on Thursday until 02:00 in Brussels, Flemish Brabant, Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Hainaut, Namur and Walloon Brabant.
It noted these rain and storm zones will move "very slowly and thus cause a lot of precipitation with a chance of hail", making amounts up to more than 20 mm of precipitation in one hour possible locally. The storm will have a tropical feeling as maximum temperatures will still reach up to 23°C in the heart of the country.
"The east of the country, especially over the High Fens, could see more precipitation. In this case, the code might be scaled up to orange. The chance of heavy showers is lower in the west of the country," the RMI stated. Because the weather situation for Thursday is generally "complex", its forecasts may still be adjusted.
By Thursday afternoon, mainly the southeastern part of the country has seen heavy rain, but by the evening, this is expected to reach the centre of Belgium.
Due to the forecasted weather, the Home Affairs Ministry has activated the helpline number 1722. Anyone who has suffered storm or water damage requiring assistance from the fire brigade can apply via the e-counter or call the number 1722.
Only for potentially life-threatening situations can people call the emergency number 112, to ensure that this line remains free for people in urgent need. In northern France near the Belgian border, code orange for thunderstorms was in force. A woman died in a mudslide in Courmelles, in the French department of Aisne, which resulted from "intense and very localised precipitation".
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The cloudy weather in Belgium will continue on Friday morning but by the afternoon rain will stop and skies will clear. Temperatures will be milder, between 11 and 16°C.
Saturday starts sunny with occasional high veil clouds. During the day, it will become partly to sometimes heavily cloudy and the chance of precipitation will increase again towards the end of the day.
