2023-12-21 15:48:44
The number 1722 is activated for a risk of storm or flooding at the coast.
Several coastal municipalities are taking safety measures, with the Royal Belgian Meteorological Institute (IRM) having issued a yellow warning for wind and strong tides. Access to piers and jetties is therefore closed in several places, while it is now not recommended to walk on certain sea walls.
Storm Pia, which is currently sweeping northwest Europe, will not spare the Belgian coast. Seven Beauforts are forecast with gusts of 80 kilometers per hour. A storm surge is also expected Thursday evening, with high water levels and strong waves possible.
Municipalities therefore take steps to ensure the safety of the population. In Ostend, the two breakwaters are closed to walkers until Friday and the authorities advise once morest traveling on the dike, quays and piers.
In Nieuwpoort, the two piers of Wester- and Oosterstaketsel are also inaccessible until Friday morning 8:00 a.m. As for the municipality of Blankenberge, it will close the Oosterstaketsel and the Belgium Pier to walkers and cyclists.
“A strong west-northwest current is causing sea levels to rise. Our services are setting up Nadar barriers to ensure your safety”report the authorities.
The MRI also calls for vigilance. “Walking the booms, quays and dykes is not without danger”he warns.
Around 200 flights canceled in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Airport, Schiphol, has preemptively canceled around 200 flights scheduled for Thursday, due to storm Pia which can be accompanied by violent winds. Schiphol takes into account wind speeds of around 50 kilometers per hour, as well as wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour. According to the airport, it will only be possible to take off and land on one runway from midday.
Strong winds can also impact the handling of aircraft on the ground. “With the consequences of possible disruptions in the flight schedule for both departures and arrivals,” adds the Dutch airport. Travelers should expect cancellations and delays throughout the day.
The Dutch meteorological institute KNMI announced a code red throughout the country from 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Weather forecast
Light rain or drizzle will still occur this Thursday before showers interspersed with some clearings set in. It will be very windy with gusts of 70 to 80 km/h, or locally a little more. The maxima will allow a mild climate of 6 to 12 degrees.
The sky will be very cloudy to overcast with intermittent rain or drizzle at first in lower and middle Belgium, and ever more pronounced rain in the Ardennes. In the followingnoon, precipitation will take the form of showers, which can even be intense locally. In Hautes-Fagnes, cumulative precipitation might reach values of 25 to 30 liters/m2 in 24 hours. The maxima will be between 6 degrees on the eastern heights and 11 or 12 degrees in the plains.
Friday, the weather will be very cloudy with showers and periods of rain. Especially in the morning, some winter precipitation may fall on the Ardennes heights. A few rays of sunlight can sometimes slip through the many clouds. The maxima will be around 5 degrees in the Hautes Fagnes, around 10 degrees in the center and around 11 degrees at the seaside. The wind will be moderate to fairly strong from the west or west-northwest, becoming quite loud to loud during the day. Gusts of around 70 km/h will be possible. By the sea, the wind will be quite strong, increasing to strong to very strong, with gusts between 70 and 80 km/h.
SATURDAY, the day will still be quite windy and cloudy, but we might benefit from drier weather. Just outside the precipitation zone further north-east of our regions, precipitation will be more sporadic in our country and would mainly affect the Ardennes. The maxima will vary from 5 degrees on the heights to 11 degrees on the plains, under a moderate to fairly strong wind, and (fairly) strong on the coast, from west to southwest. Gusts of around 70 km/h.
Sunday, a new area of precipitation will affect our territory. The weather will therefore be gray with periods of rain or showers. The maximums will be between 5 degrees in Hautes-Fagnes and 12 or 13 degrees in the west. The wind will be moderate to fairly strong from the southwest, with gusts of up to 60 km/h inland and up to 70 km/h at sea.
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