Can you run, hike or ride in a storm, wind or snow? How to read Belgium's weather warning colours

In a storm, stay out of the forest, and under a code orange for wind, postpone anything among the trees. That is the key advice. The rest is a matter of choice: in ordinary wind, rain or a thin layer of snow you can often exercise just fine, as long as you adapt your route, your clothing and your timing. The RMI colour code for your province is your first check, and a fallen tree across your path is the clearest sign to turn round. ^{[1] [9]}

On Friday 23 October 2026, storm Austen swept across Belgium and the question became very real: can you still go for a run tonight, and what about Saturday's group ride? Parks and woods closed, and the RMI issued a code orange for wind in three provinces. If you can read the codes, you can make that call in a minute. ^{[6] [8]}

What do the RMI colour codes mean?

A colour code tells you how severe the weather will be in your province. Green means nothing special. Yellow means ‘be alert’, orange ‘be prepared and follow the advice’ and red ‘take action and follow the advice strictly’. The higher the code, the later it is issued: yellow up to 48 hours ahead, orange up to 24 hours and red at the earliest 12 hours ahead. So check the evening before and again on the morning of your outing. ^[1]

The thresholds are strictly meteorological: they are about the amount of wind, rain or snow, not about traffic. When several codes apply at once, the highest one counts. A yellow for wind and an orange for thunderstorms therefore means orange. ^[1]

What applied during storm Austen?

Storm Austen reached Belgium on Friday 23 October 2026, with the strongest gusts in the afternoon and evening. The RMI issued a code orange for wind in West Flanders, East Flanders and Hainaut, from Friday afternoon until 1 am on Saturday; the rest of the country was on yellow, with a code yellow for rain as well. Gusts of 80 to 90 km/h were expected inland and 100 km/h or more on the coast. Towns such as Eeklo closed their parks and woods from Friday morning. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Why is the forest the most dangerous place in a storm?

In the forest, the danger comes from above: strong gusts snap branches and can uproot trees. That is why Flanders' Agentschap Natuur en Bos asks people to avoid woods, parks and nature areas during a storm, as it cannot guarantee visitors' safety. In Wallonia, the DNF (Département de la Nature et des Forêts) then strongly advises against walking or driving in the forest, and the state-owned parks close. For a trail runner or mountain biker in the Sonian Forest or the Hertogenwald, this is not a matter of style but of not being under a falling branch. ^{[9] [10]}

The forest is not safe straight after the storm either. Torn branches stay caught in the canopy and uprooted trees can still fall. Managers inspect and clear woods and parks before reopening them. So wait until your municipality or the site manager reopens the area, even if the sun is already out. ^[9]

How do you decide on the day?

Say you want to run 15 km with your running group in the Meerdaal Forest on Saturday morning, the day after a storm. On Friday evening you see that your province stays on yellow into the night, and the municipality says woods stay closed until they have been checked. You move the meeting to an open loop without tall trees, for example along fields or a canal, and save the forest for next week. Prefer the gravel bike? Choose a route that passes through as few woods and tree-lined lanes as possible, and expect headwinds and gusts on open stretches. ^[9]

Code orange or red for wind → postpone your outing, especially in or along the forest. Code yellow for wind → pick an open route and go shorter, with an easy way home. On the way, branches creak, leaves and twigs fall, or you have to brace against the gusts → get out of the forest straight away and turn back. A fallen tree or a closed path → do not climb over or under it; go back the way you know.

How do you exercise in strong wind and cold?

Wind makes it colder than the thermometer says. This feels-like temperature, or wind chill, is the temperature you experience because of the wind's cooling effect: at +1 °C with a force 5 wind (29 to 38 km/h), it feels like about -6 °C. Staying exposed to such a low feels-like temperature for long brings a risk of hypothermia and frostbite. A windproof layer over your running top, gloves and a hat then make more difference than a thick jumper. ^{[2] [4]}

Plan your route around the wind. Start into the wind, so you have it behind you on the way back when you are tired and sweaty; you will cool down less. On the bike, crosswinds bite hardest on open roads, dykes and bridges: ride more calmly there and leave more space to the rider in front. In a group, take turns at the front more often so no one spends hours alone in the wind.

What do you do in a thunderstorm?

In a thunderstorm, stop exercising outdoors. Count the seconds between lightning and thunder and divide by three: that is roughly the distance in kilometres. If you count 10 seconds or fewer, the storm is dangerously close and you look for safe shelter at once. That means a solid building, or an all-metal car with windows and doors shut. A bus shelter, carport or tent does not protect you. ^[5]

If you are in an open field or on high ground, get to lower ground as quickly as you can. Avoid forest edges, lone trees, viewpoints, open water and fences, and keep at least 3 m from railings. Get off your bike and leave it. If there is no shelter, crouch on your toes with your feet together, arms round your knees and hands over your ears; never lie flat. In a forest, look for a group of low trees at the lowest point. In a group, spread out and keep at least 2 m apart. ^[5]

What changes with snow, ice and fog?

Running or walking in snow is often wonderful, but glaze ice is another story. Glaze ice is rain that freezes the moment it hits the ground, coating everything in a thin layer of ice you can barely see, like an invisible ice rink. Under a code yellow for slippery conditions, choose a flat loop close to home, shorten your stride and avoid steep descents, wooden boardwalks and cobbles. Under orange or red, leave the bike at home and keep to a short walk on ground you know well. ^[1]

In the High Fens or on the Ardennes plateaus, snow can hide paths and waymarks. Set off early so you are back well before dark, and follow a route you already know. Fog makes it harder still: under code yellow, visibility is widely below 200 m, under orange below 50 m. Wear bright clothing and lights on roads, and turn back as soon as you can no longer see the waymarks. ^[1]

Look out for each other in the cold. If someone in your group goes quiet, gets clumsy with their fingers or seems confused, head indoors together, take off wet clothing and give them a warm drink. If someone becomes drowsy or stops shivering while still feeling cold, call 112. If you have asthma, a heart condition or another condition that reacts to cold or exertion, ask your doctor whether to adjust your intensity or timing in low temperatures.

Alone, in a group or for the first time: what do you change?

Alone in uncertain weather → tell someone your route and when you expect to be back, take a charged phone and choose a shorter loop. In a group → agree beforehand who decides to cut it short or call it off, and do that the evening before rather than in the car park. New to bad weather → start with a short outing close to home, so you feel what wind and cold do to you without being far away. Experienced runners, on the other hand, often forget that a familiar route can look completely different after a storm.

On a tight budget, put a windproof jacket, gloves, a hat and a light first. Those cover most conditions. A second-hand jacket is perfectly fine if the zips work and the seams hold. Spikes or dedicated winter shoes only become worthwhile if you regularly run on ice or in snow.

What can't maps and apps tell you?

A colour code applies to a province, not to a forest. It is issued as soon as a large part of the province is at risk, so your local woods may be hit harder or more lightly than average. A path shown on the map may be blocked after a storm, and a municipality can close a forest without any app showing it. If you choose a route from the RouteRadar library or upload a GPX, run Pre-Flight, but do not read ‘no alerts’ as ‘safe’: check your municipality's and the site manager's notices too, and what you see on the ground. ^{[1] [8]}

To get started: bookmark the RMI warnings for your province, agree with your running or cycling group who calls off the outing under code orange, and pick an open back-up route close to home now. At the next storm, all you will have to decide is whether to stay in or take that back-up route.

Field notes · Route library