The average temperature in April has not been as low as this year since 1986 in Belgium, according to observations from the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) on Wednesday.
With an average temperature of 7.3°C, an average minimum of 2.5°C and an average maximum of 11.9°C, April 2021 was colder than normal, according to the RMI.
The institute's calculations, which also include these three averages for the remaining two days of the month, place this month's temperature 3 to 4 degrees below the climatic normal for the period 1991-2020.
Compared to the normal values from 1961 to 1990, the temperatures were also cold this month, the RMI said, adding that the last time temperatures in April were low was 35 years ago.
At that time, the average temperature was 6.6°C, the average minimum was 3.0°C and the average maximum was 10.4°C.
According to the RMI, the cold and fickle weather at the beginning of the month is due to the north-east wind that dominated last month (18%), whereas in April the wind usually comes from the north-east (east) or south-west (west).
"During the warm days at the end of March, a high-pressure area formed over central Europe which, with a southerly wind, sent very mild air from the Sahara towards our country," the RMI stated.
"A week later, at the beginning of April, a large low-pressure area was located over Scandinavia and Central Europe and a high-pressure area over the Atlantic Ocean," the institute added. "Between these two systems, a northerly flow was created, which brought cold air from the North Pole towards our country."
This kind of cold weather can occur in a warming climate, as weather and climate describe the evolution of atmospheric phenomena on different time scales: weather on time scales of a few days to a few weeks, while climate on time scales of a year or more.
The Brussels Times
