June marked the ninth month in a row with more rain than normal, a new record for Belgium, with the previous one dating back 119 years to 1905. As things stand, July is on course to follow suit.
Last month, 73.7 millimetres of precipitation fell in the Brussels municipality of Uccle (the daily weather readings made at this weather station are used as the reference for Belgium) in 14 days, up from the average for June, which is 70.8 millimetres (on 14.1 days). This makes June the ninth month in a row with more rainfall than normal in Belgium, the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) confirmed.
"This represents a new absolute record," it noted in its Climate Report for June. The previous record dates back to 1905 (based on measurements from 1833), or 119 years ago. "From March to October 1905, Uccle recorded eight consecutive months with above-average precipitation."
While the record is significant, the report of excess rainfall hardly comes as a surprise, as torrential rainfall was recorded on several occasions last month. In mid-June, a month's worth of rain fell in just one week, leading to floods in several places across the country.
The largest daily amount for the month in Uccle was recorded in this week: 17.6 mm on 18 June. Across the country, the record was 52.8 mm of precipitation in Frassem (Arlon) on 29 June. The coast saw the least amount of rain (about 55% of the normal amount), while the Belgian Lorraine saw the highest amount of rain over the entire month (135% of the normal amount).
Thunderstorms and fewer hours of sun
June was also colder than usual. "After 22 days, the average temperature in Uccle was just 14.5°C (as opposed to the normal 16.3°C for this period)," RMI noted. This made the month the fourth coldest June since 1991.
However, temperatures began to rise towards the end of the month, surpassing 25°C on several days. This resulted in a final average temperature of 16°C, slightly below the average of 16.7°C for the whole month.
Firefighters work to clear flooded sewage ducts in Lier in June 2024. Credit: Belga/ Jonas Roosens
The lowest minimum temperature was recorded on 13 June in Neu-Hattlich (Eupen) at 1.3°C, while the highest maximum temperature was recorded on 26 June in Buggenhout in East Flanders, with 32.2°C. Temperatures ranged between 6.0°C (12 June) and 29.5°C (26 June) in Uccle.
Aside from being wetter, June was also less sunny than usual. After 22 days, only 97 hours and 21 minutes of sunshine were recorded in Uccle, compared to the usual 141 hours. Again, the sunny days at the end of the month meant the total sunshine duration for June rose to 186 hours, however, this is still below the average of 199 hours.
Finally, RMI recorded 11 thunderstorm days, slightly fewer than the normal amount of 11.8 days.
Contrast with global average
While people in Belgium were begging for summer to begin, other countries in Europe and other continents were sweltering under heat. The June 2024 report published by the EU's Climate Service Copernicus, showed the month was warmer globally than any previous June in the data record.
Heavy rainfall in front of the Belgian Royal Palace, in Brussels. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The average surface air temperature was 16.66°C, 0.67°C above the 1991-2020 average for June and 0.14°C above the previous record set in June 2023. This marks the 13th month in a row of monthly record-breaking heat.
Last month was also 1.50°C above the estimated June average for 1850-1900 (the designated pre-industrial reference period for the Paris Agreement), making it the 12th consecutive month to reach or break the 1.5°C threshold. Overall, the past 12 months (July 2023 – June 2024) have been the warmest ever, at 0.76°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.64°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
The average European temperature for June was also 1.57°C above the 1991-2020 average for June, making it the joint second-warmest June on record for the continent.
