While the temperature will rise up to 26°C inland in Belgium on Tuesday, it will not climb much higher than 16°C in the coastal region, the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) reported.
Tuesday morning will start out slightly cloudy in some western parts of the country, while elsewhere, people will once again wake up to bright sunshine. Around the central belt, including Brussels, as well as in Luxembourg, temperatures will rise, but at the coast, local temperatures will remain far below 20°C.
"The maximum temperature will n0t climb higher than 16°C in the Coastal Region while it fluctuates between 20 and 26°C elsewhere. Winds are mostly moderate, sometimes quite strong at sea, from north-northeast to northeast," RMI wrote on its website.
Chilly spring, but welcome relief in summer
The cause behind this 10°C difference between the inland climate and the coast is its location next to the sea. "Especially in spring and early summer, the weather can be less pleasant on the coast than inland due to the sea breeze," the institute explained.
A sea breeze occurs when the sea water is much colder than the mainland (8°C or more). "During spring and early summer, the land sometimes warms up rapidly during the day, while the seawater temperature barely changes (as a matter of fact, the seawater will warm up and cool down much more slowly compared to the land during these seasons)."
RMI stressed, however, that during the peak summer months, this sea breeze will provide "welcome refreshment in the afternoon," when inland temperatures reach 30°C or more. "At sea, for example, it will be 23°C, explaining why Belgians flock to the coast on hot days.
The lower temperatures are also the result of moving water, which absorbs more heat than land. In summer, the sea absorbs heat and the temperature is lower than in a land climate, and in winter, the sea releases heat and the temperature is higher than in a land climate.
Temperatures at the coast will reach 17°C on Wednesday, while inland, maxima of 24 to 25°C will be recorded.
