This July, marked by the deadly floods which affected many areas in Belgium, is the wettest in more than 40 years, according to the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI).
No less than 151 millimetres of rain has already fallen in Uccle, where the headquarters of the RMI is located, making this month the wettest July since 1980, according to David Dehenauw, head of its forecasting department.
"This is the sixth wettest July since 1833, whilst the most rainfall in July in Uccle was recorded in 1942: 196 mm (or l/m2)," Dehenauw said on Twitter.
Al 151 mm gevallen deze maand in Ukkel. Dit is nu al de natste maand juli daar sinds 1980 en de 6de natste sinds 1833. De meeste regen in juli in Ukkel werd in 1942 opgevangen : 196 mm (of l/m2). 1/2
— David Dehenauw (@DDehenauw) July 28, 2021
The wettest month ever recorded at the headquarters was August 1996, when 231 millimetres of rain fell, whilst the most rain recorded in any 30-day period in Uccle was between 21 June and 20 July 1980, when RMI measures 241 millimetres.
During the same month, 343 millimetres of rain fell in the High Fens, in the south of the country.
This news will come as no surprise to most people who have been in Belgium during the last two weeks, mainly due to the floods which ravaged the country on 14 and 15 July, resulting in 41 deaths and thousands of homes being damaged.
Although it seems the period of heavy rains has passed, for now, there will be no real improvement in the weather in the coming days, according to RMI's latest weather update.
