January was unusually dark and exceptionally wet, according to a report released Saturday by the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI).
The report indicates that January 2025 has tied with January 2004 for being the wettest on record. Uccle’s weather station reported 153.8 mm of rainfall – twice the average of 75.5 mm.
Rainfall was unevenly distributed throughout the month. Heavy rain fell in the first and last thirds of January, with 82 mm from the 1st to the 10th (average: 26.5 mm) and 70.9 mm from the 21st to the 31st (average: 24.1 mm). The middle ten days were unusually dry, recording just 0.9 mm against an average of 24.9 mm.
Despite the greater amount of rain, the number of rainy days was average. January saw 18 rainy days, close to Uccle station’s average of 18.9. However, across the country, there were more rainy days, with 20 of them including partial or full snowfall.
The highest rainfall at Uccle was 30.4 mm on 5 January. Witry (Léglise, Luxembourg) recorded the highest rainfall nationwide with 35 mm on 8 January. Across the country, precipitation levels were above normal with Hesbaye experiencing 210% of its average rainfall.
Snowy streets pictured in Brussels on the morning of Thursday 09 January 2025. Credit: Belga
Sunshine was scarce in January, with only 36 hours and 28 minutes of sunshine (average: 59 hours and 4 minutes). Temperatures were also below average, with a monthly mean of 3°C, 0.7°C below normal.
Elsenborn (Bütgenbach, Liège) recorded the lowest temperature at -15.3°C on 14 January. The highest temperature was 13.4°C at Blauberg (Herselt, Antwerp) on 27 January.
