The unexpected and violent gust of wind came up suddenly on Saturday evening around 7.30 pm. At that time, some attendees were also enjoying a drink in the summer bar Bar Hazart in Oostnieuwkerke. “The wind has crawled under our roof, which consists of an iron construction and a tarpaulin,” says Louis Plancke (27) of Bar Hazart. “All of a sudden our canopy started to slide and eventually it was blown over too.” No injuries were reported, but several cars were damaged. “In one car the windscreen is completely broken, in two others it is minor damage to the tin. Those present had finished their glass, but after that we had to kindly ask them to leave.” The bar is closed on Saturday evenings. “We are doing everything we can to restore our construction again. Normally we will be able to open again tomorrow.”
Where that sudden gust of wind on a summer day like today comes from is a mystery. David Dehenauw of the RMI cannot immediately find an explanation for this. “Today we have not measured any wind gusts of 70 kilometers per hour or so. There has been a sea breeze that may have reached there, but it still couldn’t have caused such a thing. All I can think about is a dust devil. But then I’m speculating.” In a dust devil, small whirlwinds are created over highly heated surfaces. “That can cause garden furniture to blow over. But something like that cannot be measured and is not at all certain.”