Belgium was hit by a fierce thunderstorm just as the evening rush hour began, causing chaos across the Capital Region. Heavy rain flooded roads and strong winds of nearly 100 kilometres per hour wreaked havoc in certain areas. The Brussels fire brigade was inundated with over 100 calls for help. Walter Derieuw, the spokesperson for the fire service, reported about 150 incidents of flooded roads and fallen trees awaiting assistance, with 22 ongoing interventions including a flooded Arts-Loi tunnel.
The short but powerful thunderstorm that swept over Brussels just before the start of the evening rush hour caused problems across the Capital Region, with several important tunnels flooded.
Heavy showers caused many roads to flood and gusts of almost 100 kilometres per hour sparked chaos in some local areas. The Brussels fire brigade has already received over 100 calls.
The recent update from Brussels Mobility is all about tunnel closures causing chaos in the city. The Cinquantenaire tunnel, Stephania tunnel, and the Arts-Loi tunnel in both directions have been shut down, leading to a traffic snarl with numerous vehicles stuck. Social media images also capture flooded streets, notably Rue Belliard in the European Quarter.
As if that wasn’t enough, even the Brussels ring road faced major disruptions. A fallen tree near Beersel created a blockade, while strong wind
Brussels Mobility reports that several tunnels in the city have been closed. Among them are the Cinquantenaire tunnel and Stephania tunnel, as well as the Arts-Loi tunnel in both directions. Several vehicles were stuck. Images on social media also show several streets flooded, including the major Rue Belliard in the city’s European Quarter.
wind gusts of up to 102 km/h were recorded in the late afternoon.
Brussels public transport operator STIB also warned that its services are affected by the storm. “We are activating the storm plan on the STIB network due to the storm,” around 18:30.
Tram lines 3, 4, 7, 8, 18, 19, 82 en 92 are currently experiencing disruption, and several bus lines have also been diverted, including the 41 (due to the closure of the Bois de la Cambre). The line is restricted to Florida towards Héros. Bus line 45 has also been diverted between Cicéron in Evere and Marcel Thiry.
Currently, rail traffic is halted between Huizingen and Beersel due to a fallen tree in Etterbeek causing chaos between Brussels and Ottignies.
Train traffic across the country is also affected, with possible delays and cancellations on the entire network, Belgian rail operator SNCB announced on social media. Rail traffic is currently also interrupted between Huizingen and Beersel. A fallen tree on the tracks in Etterbeek disrupted traffic between Brussels and Ottignies. The tree has been removed but trains will be affected for some time.
More showers and thunderstorms are expected later on Tuesday evening.