2023-08-02 10:18:00
Boots, rain jackets and waterproof shoes are all the rage
Usually, sports stores like Decathlon prepare their ranges of summer sportswear during the major holidays. They are expecting strong demand for football and basketball outfits… However, at the moment, it is rather rainwear that is out. These are also placed in the “selection of the moment” on the Decathlon website. “For the past two weeks, rainwear has been going more and more often at the checkout, we note at the Decathlon in Wavre. The two products that customers buy the most are rain jackets and K-Way. there is an increase in sales of this type of clothing which is unusual in July”. To be fully equipped, Belgians also buy rain-resistant shoes. The manager of the “Aigle” shoe store in Waterloo can testify to this. “Our summer shoes are still selling as well. But the difference compared to other years is that, this time, the rain shoes too. We sell a lot of hiking shoes because they are waterproof”, rejoices -She.
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An “anecdotal” impact on groundwater
Given the heavy rains of recent days, one might say that the water tables are full. Unfortunately, it is not the case. Precipitation does not compensate for the drop in groundwater levels characteristic of summer. “The level continues to drop, which is completely normal. It is not impossible that the rains have a small effect but it remains undoubtedly anecdotal”, explains Olivier Tromme, hydrogeologist at the public service of Wallonia. “The level of the water tables depends on the season. They fill up especially in winter because the rest of the year, the water is intercepted by vegetation. This is called evapotranspiration”, specifies-t- he. The rainfall that we experience allows us to moisten the soil, to lessen the drop in the levels of our rivers, but not to significantly modify the drought situation. And this precipitation has no impact on the level of groundwater, due to the activity of the vegetation, summarizes the SPW.
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Winegrowers adapt: ”We manage despite the weather”
Good news for lovers of Walloon wines: the current rains should not have too much impact on the cuvées in preparation. “We have very complicated weather but we manage to manage it. In 2021, we made mistakes but we learned from it and we know how to do it better when there is heavy rain”, says Jean Galler, winegrower in the Liege region. “In 2021, the rain fell at the wrong time: in the middle of the flower’s pollination period. But without pollination, there is no reason. This year, the weather was blessed until ten days ago” , he says. “We therefore removed all the vegetation so that the vines would dry as quickly as possible and avoid diseases such as mildew. In fact, if the vines are in good health, the current rains should not be a problem, but for the winegrowers who would have vines in poor health, the danger is great to see them deteriorate further because if the rain does not stop falling, we can never spray the crops and that can be problematic.”
Museums and indoor playgrounds are celebrating: “We are doubling our clientele”
If the weather does not make the sunny days of amusement parks and other outdoor playgrounds, indoor leisure centers rub their hands. “Normally, summer is not our season but with the current climate, we have more crowds than usual, evokes a smile on her lips, Céline Dewiete, administrator of the indoor playground Flying Kids in Wavre. Conversely, when the weather is very nice, we don’t open and no one notices. It’s not like during the year either because many people are on vacation but we’ll say we’re taking advantage of the bad weather. When it’s rainy like it is now, we manage to double our clientele”.
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During major holidays, the leisure center adapts its hours, it opens at noon instead of 10 a.m. during the year and closes at 6 p.m. “Despite the high demand, we do not want to change our schedules, the desire is to concentrate the clientele at the same time, she specifies. Overall, the clientele remains the same as during previous holidays even if we see that some clients are ready to do more kilometers than usual”.
Same story on the side of museums even if the post-covid crisis which led to a drop in attendance is still being felt. “We see that there are more people than usual even if this does not make up for the losses of the past, explains Mathieu Van Mulders, employee at the Atomium and the video game museum in Brussels. Atomium, there are nearly 3,000 visitors per day compared to 4,000 on weekends, which is higher than usual”.
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