Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute (IRM) has prolonged its nationwide code-yellow heat warning until at least Friday 17 July, citing forecasts of 30–33 °C across Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. The alert, which has been active since 4 July, obliges regional authorities and businesses to activate heat-health plans, including flexible working hours and reduced physical exertion for outdoor staff. Transport operators are on standby for rail buckling and road-surface softening, phenomena that caused speed restrictions on key SNCB and Infrabel lines during previous heatwaves. Brussels Airport is monitoring runway temperatures that can degrade aircraft braking performance, while STIB has instructed drivers to carry extra water supplies and is ready to curtail tram frequencies if catenary temperatures exceed safety thresholds. Global-mobility teams are advising assignees to book morning flights where possible and to allow extra transfer time as air-conditioned waiting lounges reach capacity. The Flemish Service for Employment and Vocational Training (VDAB) has reminded companies of their legal duty to measure indoor workplace temperatures and provide cooling breaks once readings exceed 29 °C in “light work” settings. Event organisers are also adapting: the Tomorrowland festival near Antwerp will bring forward gate opening hours and expand shaded queuing areas, while several corporate off-sites scheduled for outdoor venues in Brussels have shifted to hybrid online formats. Employers planning relocation orientation tours are urged to reschedule walking components or supply cooling packs. Although the current alert is one tier below the orange “heatwave emergency”, climatologists warn that Belgium is experiencing longer and more intense hot spells due to climate change, making heat-related travel disruption an increasingly predictable business-risk factor.
Source: The Brussels Times
