Belgium braces for thunderstorms, yellow alert issued

The Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM) has placed all of Belgium under a yellow alert for thunderstorms, signaling a significant weather shift starting Thursday afternoon and continuing until dawn on Friday. This warning comes after a period of summer weather, indicating a notable deterioration is expected.

The IRM forecasts that a storm system will enter the country from the south by late Thursday afternoon. The alert warns that these thunderstorms could become locally violent, bringing with them very heavy rainfall in short periods, which may cause issues. Additionally, residents can expect to encounter hail and strong wind gusts.

The advisory urges the public to be prepared for potentially problematic conditions as the weather episode is anticipated to be intense across the nation. The combination of heavy rain, wind, and hail poses a risk of localized flooding and disruption.

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These thunderstorms could be locally violent and cause very heavy rainfall in a short time (which will prove problematic), hail, and strong wind gusts.