Tuesday's rush hour from hell

Rush hour traffic jams reached a peak of 422 kilometres around 8:15 AM.

Hajo Beeckman of the VRT traffic centre: "The jams were longer because of the rain. There weren't any major accidents. There was a lot of aquaplaning though and as a result drivers modified their driving."

"Rainy weather encourages motorists to adopt a more defensive driving style. Some drivers also get jumpier and this too has an impact."

The rain resulted in pools of water in many places fueling the threat of aqua-or hydroplaning. Fire-fighters had to attend flooding on the greater Brussels orbital ring road at Zaventem.

Traffic on the Brussels Antwerp motorway E19 was hampered by an accident involving a lorry at Loenhout. All traffic was directed off the motorway. The Flemish traffic centre is urging drivers to take a circuitous route.