The half term break is rainy and grey and there is little prospect this will change soon. In fact conditions will probably even deteriorate as Storm Ciarán arrives in Belgium on Thursday. For the first time this autumn wind speeds of 100 km/h are forecast in Belgium.
Storm Ciarán is already gathering pace in the Atlantic. The Belgian Met Office has issued a code yellow weather warning for wind for Thursday 2 November. Gusts of up to 100 km/h are forecast with windspeeds of up to 7 Beaufort inland, 10 Beaufort on the coast. Code yellow could still become a code amber weather warning.
Expect gusts of 80km/h even on Friday. The weekend will be less gusty but storm conditions persist.
Weatherman Bram Verbruggen explains several factors will influence how Storm Ciarán responds in Belgium: “Air pressure is expected to fall sharply. The lower it falls, the gustier it will become. The route of the eye of the storm is being monitored because that will determine where it gets very windy”.
The eye is expected to reach the English southwest and then travel north. “This is bad news for us” says Bram. “The strongest winds always occur on the southern flank of a storm depression. It looks like the strongest winds will pass over our regions”.
Waves of up to 12 metres high are forecast and flooding may occur, especially as a result of abundant rain. Some Flemish rivers may burst their banks.