Although August is not yet at its halfway point, the amount of rain recorded is already above the month's average. This marks the 11th consecutive month of excessive rain in Belgium – a first for the country.
Excluding the thunderstorm that was accompanied by heavy rain at the beginning of the month, August has so far been generally warm and dry. Still, the amount of precipitation recorded over the first two weeks has already surpassed the monthly average, the Head of Forecasting at the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI), David Dehenauw, announced on Wednesday morning.
The thunderstorms which struck Belgium on Tuesday night pushed the precipitation levels over the average. Early on Wednesday morning, the amount of rain recorded by the Uccle weather station's rain gauge since the beginning of the month surpassed 100 mm. "The normal August precipitation average at the station is 86.5 mm," said Dehenauw.
August is therefore the 11th month in a row with more precipitation than normal in Belgium. "This has never been seen here since measurements began in 1833," Dehenauw said.
119-year record
Last month's average was also already exceeded before July's halfway point (on 14 July), again the result of several powerful thunderstorms.
Belgium broke the record for the longest period with above-average rain in June, which marked the ninth consecutive month with excessive precipitation. The previous record dated back to 1905 (based on measurements from 1833), or 119 years ago when Uccle recorded eight consecutive months with above-average precipitation from March to October.
This year's spring and summer have starkly contrasted with those in recent years in Belgium, which were marked by drought and frequent heatwaves. Both extremes are expected to become more common with climate change.
The coming days are expected to be largely dry and sunny, with maximum temperatures sitting around 24°C.
