The Royal Meteorological Institute has placed the entire Belgian territory on yellow alert from 12 p.m. to midnight on Friday. In addition, the provinces of West Flanders, East Flanders and Antwerp will be on orange alert from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The expected winds are as follows:
- Littoral : 120-150 km/h
- West Flanders: 100-140 km/h
- East Flanders: 100-130 km/h
- Hainaut: 90-120 km/h
- Antwerp: 100-130 km/h
- Walloon and Flemish Brabants: 80-120 km/h
- Namur : 80-120 km/h
- Limburg: 80-120 km/h
- Liege: 80-120 km/h
- Luxembourg: 80-110 km / h
A passage in code red for the coast is not excluded by the MRI. “Possibly the strongest storm since 1990”according to meteorologist David Dehenauw.
These strong winds are likely to cause damage and temporary disruptions to the road, rail and air network.
Travel by road not recommended
At the road level, non-essential travel is not recommended this Friday followingnoon.
Closure of state parks in Wallonia
The Department of Nature and Forests (DNF) of the Walloon Region strongly recommends avoiding walks or driving in the forest on Friday. State parks will be closed to the public throughout the day.
Closure of green spaces in Brussels
The parks, gardens and regional woods in Brussels, as well as the car parks in the Soignes forest will be closed to the public from Friday 12:00 p.m. and at least until 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, the regional agency Brussels Environment said on Thursday. It is recommended to avoid driving in all regional green spaces and in particular near trees. Notices indicating the prohibition to the public will be posted at the entrances to the wooded areas and the wardens will inform the people who go there. Inspections and securing will take place as soon as the storm alert is lifted. The green spaces will then be made accessible to the public once more.
Brussels Airport follows the forecast closely
Brussels Airport closely follows the weather forecast. Procedures are planned depending on the intensity of the storm. “We are monitoring, with our partners, the situation via weather forecasts and the information we have thanks to the air traffic manager Skeyes”said airport spokeswoman Ihsane Chioua Lekhli. “For the moment, we do not expect a significant impact but we are monitoring developments.”
1722 enabled
A federal crisis unit has been activated to monitor the situation, with which the Regional Crisis Center of Wallonia is associated. The call number 1722 for non-emergency firefighter interventions has been activated by the FPS Interior.
Citizen advice: