Coldest mid-October in a century

VRT weatherman Frank Deboosere noted that this was the coldest temperature for such a day in a hundred years: "It's the coldest 13 October since 1901."

The cold weather is the combination of several factors. Frank Deboosere: "The air that is ending up here comes from the north-north-east. This is extremely cold air that was above Lapland only a few days ago."

"With no sunshine in the interior there was little chance this air could heat up. On the coast thanks to the sunshine and the impact of the sea it was warmer."

There's a greater chance of showers in coming days, but in most parts of Flanders no snow.

Frank Deboosere: "It's only above 500 metres that we can expect sleet and snow. Snow could occur in the High Fens."

Is the present cold snap a presage of things to come? Are we in for a horror winter? "No" says Frank Deboosere. "It was bitterly cold on 13 October 1975, but that did not herald a terrible winter. The water of the Atlantic is colder than usual, but many other factors play a role. We still don't know what direction it's heading."