Forecasts for the next 36 hours
(chart)
(These forecasts are usually updated daily)
🇬🇧 Weather Update – 9 January 2026 | 7 AM
(BMCB multimodel: ICOND2 – AROME HD – ALADIN)
🌧 Precipitation – next 36 hours
A markedly wintry weather system is affecting the country, bringing locally significant precipitation totals, especially across southern areas:
- North of the Scheldt: 11 to 35 L/m²
- Between the Scheldt and the Sambre–Meuse: 14 to 40 L/m²
- South of the Sambre–Meuse: 21 to 50 L/m²
Today – A pronounced winter deterioration
Morning
Skies are fully overcast, with periods of heavy precipitation. Rain dominates in low-lying areas, but gradually turns to sleet above 300–400 m, and to snow above 500–600 m.
Winds are strong to gale-force, blowing from the southwest to west, veering west to northwest over Flanders and the Antwerp region, with gusts reaching 70–90 km/h, slightly lower elsewhere.
Afternoon
Conditions remain highly unsettled under dense cloud cover. Precipitation continues as the snow line drops further, with sleet from 200–300 m and snow from 400–500 m.
Winds turn west to northwest, remaining brisk.
Maximum temperatures, already reached during the morning, peak near 6°C along the coast, 3–4°C inland, and 0–2°C in the High Ardennes.
Evening
Overcast skies persist, with frequent precipitation: rain and sleet above 200 m, snow above 300 m. In the Campine, snow may gradually reach low-lying areas as well.
The west to northwest wind remains moderate to strong.
Night
Under continued cloud cover, rain or sleet will affect western Flanders and western Hainaut, while light to moderate snowfall is expected elsewhere.
Winds shift to northwest to north, remaining brisk near the coast.
Minimum temperatures will fall to around 3°C at the coast, -1 to -3°C inland, and -3 to -6°C south of the Sambre–Meuse line.
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National Thermal Indicator
(Chart)
MULTIMODEL BMCB
(These forecasts are generally updated daily)
Update – 9 January 2026 | 10 AM
A sharp winter plunge is expected over the next 48 hours, with the national thermal index dropping rapidly to a notably low minimum around –5, signalling a marked cold outbreak across the country.
Daytime temperatures will struggle to rise above –3 to +3°C, while night-time minima will generally range between –3 and –9°C.
Conditions will be considerably harsher in the valleys south of the Sambre–Meuse line, where during the night from Saturday to Sunday, temperatures may fall to –10 to –15°C, and very locally even to –16 to –19°C — exceptionally low values.
This icy interlude will be followed by an equally striking rebound in temperatures. During the first half of next week, the national thermal index is expected to climb rapidly to +5 to +6, bringing daytime temperatures of 6 to 12°C and a return to much milder, Atlantic-influenced conditions.
For the remainder of the week and into the following week, the index is likely to fluctuate between +1 and +4, resulting in maximum temperatures generally ranging from 3 to 11°C, within a more temperate and less contrasting weather pattern.
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General Weather Evolution for the Next Days
Europe: Analysis & Forecast maps (6=>? days)
Update – 8 January 2026 | 11 AM
The low-pressure system, currently estimated at 991 hPa, is moving from the maritime areas west of the English Channel towards the Pas-de-Calais, where its central pressure will temporarily deepen to around 975 hPa.
By midday tomorrow, the depression will be centred over the Benelux, with a core pressure near 982 hPa, before continuing eastwards and gradually filling over Germany during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
This system will be accompanied by periods of heavy rainfall and a very brief spell of milder air during the coming night. However, this mild interlude will be short-lived: from Friday morning onwards, colder air will once again take hold.
As a result, precipitation will turn back into sleet or snow, depending on the region and elevation.
On Sunday, a small but well-defined anticyclone, reaching around 1029 hPa, will develop over Germany, bringing a temporary stabilisation of the cold air mass across our regions.
This high-pressure system will then shift eastwards, leaving us next week under a south-easterly to south-westerly flow, becoming progressively milder, yet at times unsettled, with renewed spells of rain.
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Forecast for the coming days
(Chart)
Multimodel BMCB ( OPERATIONAL + ENSEMBLES ICON-GFS-ECMWF-AIFS-GCGFS )
Forecast of the range of temperatures, precipitations + general type of weather in Belgium
(These forecasts are usually updated daily)
Update – 7 January 2026 | 3 PM
Summary of the expected weather evolution
based on the BMCB multimodel
(operational models and ensembles ICON – AIFS – ECMWF)
📅 Friday, 9 January
Rainfall (24 h): 20–55 l/m²
Temperatures: minima -2 to +4 °C | maxima 3 to 9 °C
A highly unsettled and wintry day lies ahead. Conditions will be cool and windy, with strong gusts of 70 to 90 km/h from the west to northwest.
Skies remain fully overcast, bringing heavy showers of rain or graupel. Marked falls of graupel or wet snow are expected across the Campine region and south of the Sambre–Meuse line, while snow becomes widespread above 300–400 metres.
Overnight, the atmosphere remains unstable, with further sometimes heavy showers of sleet or snow across all regions.
📅 Saturday, 10 January
Rainfall (24 h): 4–30 l/m²
Temperatures: minima -6 to 0 °C | maxima -3 to +3 °C
The cold air tightens its grip. Snowfall will gradually ease over western and central areas, but light snow showers may persist around Liège and east of the Meuse.
During the night, conditions turn increasingly dry, with wide clear spells and moderate to locally severe frost, particularly across the eastern half of the country.
📅 Sunday, 11 January
Rainfall (24 h): 0–2 l/m²
Temperatures: minima -9 to -3 °C, locally -10 to -18 °C south of the Sambre–Meuse line | maxima -5 to +1 °C
A very cold day, still fairly windy with gusts of 50–70 km/h from the south to southeast.
The morning will be bright and sunny, before cloud increases later in the day from the southwest.
Overnight, a new precipitation system arrives, with snow turning to rain, while snow persists across the Campine and the Ardennes.
📅 Monday, 12 January
A cool and gloomy day, dominated by persistent rain.
📅 Tuesday, 13 January
A shift towards notably mild conditions for the season, accompanied by rainy weather.
🔎 Likely outlook
From 14 to 21 January, weather conditions are expected to be largely seasonal, often dry or with only light precipitation, locally sleet or snow over the Ardennes.
Around Wednesday, 21 January, a renewed period of more widespread and moderate precipitation is likely, with milder air returning.
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Forecast anomalies at 500 hPa
(mid-troposphere = 5,000–6,000 m altitude)
Update – 7 January 2026
The trends derived from mid-tropospheric anomaly analyses of the ECMWF ensemble models for the second half of January point towards a notable reorganisation of the atmospheric circulation.
The currently active low-pressure systems over the British Isles and the nearby Atlantic are expected to gradually retreat westwards, allowing the progressive development of an extensive high-pressure ridge.
This anticyclonic zone could extend from Russia to Greenland, via Scandinavia, establishing a large-scale pattern conducive to a north-easterly airflow. Under such a configuration, colder continental air masses originating from Eastern Europe and Russia would likely spread towards our regions.
By early February, the high-pressure system would tend to shift further westward, placing our areas under the influence of a north to north-easterly flow. This airflow would remain decidedly cold, primarily due to its Scandinavian origin.
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SOURCE: METEOCONSULT
BENELUX:
Weather Outlook for 3-4 weeks
Update 31-12-25
Weather Trends – Mid to Late January
15 to 25 January: mild and unsettled conditions
This period is expected to be influenced by a west to south-westerly airflow, remaining fairly unsettled. Between 19 and 25 January, a succession of Atlantic low-pressure systems could affect the region, bringing recurrent spells of rain, interspersed with temporary quieter intervals.
Within this pattern, temperatures are likely to rise slightly above seasonal averages, though without any pronounced anomalies. Overall, this would result in a generally mild and humid winter regime, driven by Atlantic influences.
26 January to 1 February: potentially calmer and more seasonal
At this range, forecast confidence remains low, and these trends should therefore be interpreted with caution.
Based on the current ensemble mean of the models, a gradual easing of conditions cannot be ruled out. Weather patterns could then move closer to seasonal norms, with temperatures near average and a changeable sky, but without any significant disturbances.
Such a configuration would be conducive to the formation of fog and low cloud, particularly across low-lying areas and valleys, due to stable conditions in the lower atmospheric layers.
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Weather Outlook for 3 months
Update 13-12-25 – 3:00 PM
January 2026: a wintry spell before milder conditions return
January 2026 is expected to open with a distinctly wintry phase, followed by a clear and lasting return to milder conditions during the second half of the month.
The nationwide temperature anomaly is estimated at +0.7°C, pointing to an overall mild month despite a cold start.
Early January could bring low temperatures and a risk of snowfall reaching lowland areas.
From mid-January onwards, Atlantic influences are likely to dominate, bringing temperatures well above seasonal averages.
In terms of precipitation, a slight surplus (+5%) is anticipated. Weather systems would be fairly frequent at the beginning of the month under a northerly flow, before shifting to a westerly to south-westerly Atlantic regime from mid-month.
As a result, January could become the wettest month of the 2025-2026 winter.
February 2026: slightly drier and still mild
February is expected to remain generally mild, with a temperature surplus close to +1°C.
Weather conditions are likely to be contrasting, with cold mornings followed by milder and often sunny afternoons, as high-pressure systems settle more frequently over the region.
Precipitation totals would be slightly below average (-10%), with less active weather systems due to the influence of persistent high pressure over continental Europe.
March 2026: finally a seasonal month?
March could finally deliver near-average seasonal conditions.
Temperatures are expected to fluctuate around climatological norms, with alternating cooler periods and milder, more unsettled phases, typical of early spring.
Precipitation should be close to average overall, though locally below normal, under the possible influence of high-pressure systems over northern Europe.
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Update to BMCB Multimodel – since 1 October 2025
from ICON (replace location left above )
from ECMWF (replace location left above)