From sun to storm. Last week, Belgium experienced very summery weather. But this more than pleasant weather will only be an old memory in the coming days. Indeed, the mercury will drop from this Thursday. The cold will be back accompanied by frost and even snow in some parts of the country.
“From tomorrow Thursday, it will cool again. We will really find winter weather to end this week”, even explains Vanessa Matagne for RTL, the channel’s weather presenter. This Thursday will therefore mark a real turning point. “We will lose 4 to 5 degrees compared to today. Lots of clouds, rain but not only. A little bit of melting snow is possible during the day on Thursday.”
On its website, the IRM effectively warns the population that traffic conditions could be slippery. “Between Thursday morning and Friday evening, we expect a period of winter precipitation in the form of wet snow and snow as well as sleet showers. On Thursday, we expect local and temporary snow accumulation of a few centimeters. Overnight Thursday to Friday and Friday during the day, a layer of 5 cm or locally a little more is expected in most regions.
Towards a temperature record since 1963?
According to some forecasts, we could even experience the coldest day since 1963 in Belgium! Indeed, the maximum temperature for this Friday would only be between 2 and 4 degrees. In general, the maximum temperature in Uccle is around… April 14.2 on April 1st. “The lowest maximum temperature on record for April 1 since 1892 was 3.1 degrees in 1963. So we are very close to that estimate”says David Dehenauw, weather forecaster, for HLN.
After a dry and very sunny month of March, the difference will therefore be brutal. But not everyone will be a loser. Indeed, cross-country skiers will be able to enjoy themselves in the Hautes-Fagnes. Indeed, ten to fifteen centimeters of snow are expected this weekend. However, the snow in April is nothing exceptional in itself. “Last year it also snowed in Flanders in the first half of April”says David Dehenauw.
Another big winner: vacationers who go skiing. “Between Thursday and Monday morning, the Swiss and French Alps will receive between 30 and 60 centimeters of snow, Austria and northern Italy will receive 30 to 40 centimeters of fresh snow. From 1,500 meters, snow is guaranteed for the next few days”he says.
What is the cause of this abrupt change?
There are several reasons for this changeable weather. First of all, there is the arrival from the north of a cold wave that comes from the Arctic. It will gradually extend to the entire metropolitan territory. As Meteociel states in an infographic on Twitter.
Another possible explanation: the replacement of one meteorological phenomenon by another. Indeed, since mid-March, we have experienced a powerful anticyclone between the top of France and our country. They are often associated with dry, cloudless, sunny weather. The arrival of rain and the drop in temperatures cause a sudden change that favors the arrival of snowfall.