Tonga shockwave reaches Belgium
The eruption of a volcano under the sea off the island of Tonga in the Pacific was noticeable in Belgium yesterday evening when sudden variations in air pressure were recorded. Air pressure suddenly rose only to fall back as soon as it had risen. Further small fluctuations in air pressure were recorded early this morning.
“It was a tremendous shockwave that passed through the atmosphere” says VRT weather presenter Frank Deboosere. “The shockwave reached the Benelux around 8PM yesterday. That’s 14 hours after the eruption. This morning at 2:30AM there was a second smaller shockwave”.
“Barometers registered air pressure fluctuations of some 2 hectopascal. The shockwave needed 20 minutes to reach the south of the Ardennes from the North of Holland”.
“The fluctuations are not set to impact on our weather as they are too small. People will not have noticed it either, only equipment. Wind speed may have slowed slightly during the shockwave”.
The weather presenter also forecasts the possibility of more colourful sunsets as a lot of ash and dust from the volcano ended up high in the atmosphere.