Storm Boelo hits Belgium with orange rain alert and 64 Brussels call-outs

Two storms in two days

Storm Austen crossed Belgium on Friday, 23 October, and Boelo followed on Saturday, 24 October. Meteorologist David Dehenauw said on X on Saturday evening that Boelo had officially become a storm, the second in two days over the country. The Institut royal météorologique (IRM) defines a storm as mean wind of at least 75 km/h, force 9 on the Beaufort scale, measured over 10 minutes at 10 metres. That speed was recorded that evening at the Westhinder pole in the North Sea. The last time Belgium saw two storms within two days was 18 and 19 February 2022, when Eunice and Franklin passed over the country.

Warnings and rainfall

The IRM kept most of the country under a yellow warning for wind and rain and placed Luxembourg province under orange until midday on Sunday. Its bulletin forecast totals of 20 to 35 litres per square metre over most regions. The southern slope of the Ardennes was expected to add an orographic effect, bringing 50 to very locally 70 or 80 litres per square metre to the south of Luxembourg province and the extreme south of Namur province in less than 24 hours. By 6am on Sunday, 55 mm had fallen at Arlon and 50 mm at Mont Rigi. The coast stayed under a yellow wind warning into Sunday, with gusts of 70 to 80 km/h forecast there.

Arlon55

Mont Rigi50

Arlon

55 mm

Mont Rigi

50 mm

Data from the article text

Brussels fire brigade response

Between 18:00 on Saturday and Sunday morning, the Brussels-Capital Region fire brigade carried out 64 interventions. Of these, 39 were for flooding, 13 for broken branches or fallen trees, and 12 for objects torn loose by the wind. Four interventions were still under way when the brigade reported on Sunday morning. The brigade warned that more damage could become visible in daylight and asked residents to stay alert to unstable objects, damaged roof elements and weakened trees.

“It is possible that further damage becomes visible in daylight and that new requests for assistance still reach the emergency services.”

For non-urgent damage that does not need firefighters, residents are asked to use the online service 1722.be first.

Flooding39

Broken branches or fallen trees13

Objects torn away by wind12

Flooding

39 interventions

Broken branches or fallen trees

13 interventions

Objects torn away by wind

12 interventions

Data from the article text

Trees on the Marché aux Herbes

During Austen on Friday, a tree fell onto a café terrace on the Marché aux Herbes in central Brussels, injuring three people, one of them seriously. As a precaution, the city decided that same Friday evening to cut down all the other trees on the square. Ecolo-Groen councillor Lotte Stoops said on Saturday that it was logical for the city to review safety, but she questioned the decision to cut every tree at once.

“Was it really necessary? Wasn't there anything less drastic?”

Stoops also warned that removing all trees as a precaution could set a precedent as storms become more frequent with climate change.

Netherlands and the week ahead

In the Netherlands, the KNMI warned of persistent severe gusts in coastal provinces until the night from Sunday to Monday, with gusts of 75 to 90 km/h along the coast and around 100 km/h over the Wadden area on Sunday afternoon. Because trees still carry their leaves, many smaller branches were expected to break. In Belgium, the IRM forecast a new disturbance on Tuesday, 27 October, with rain arriving from the west and milder air, while Wednesday, 28 October, was expected to be dry and sunny.