Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Belgium has set a 119-year record with nine consecutive months of above-average rainfall, confirmed by the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI). In June, Uccle experienced 73.7mm of rain in 14 days.
Why is Belgium experiencing record rainfall for nine months?
Belgium has undergone more rain than normal for the ninth month in a row, a record that dates back 119 years to 1905. The previous month, 73.7 millimetres of rain fell in the Brussels municipality of Uccle in 14 days, up from the standard for June, which is 70.8 millimetres (on 14.1 days). This pushes June the ninth month in a row with more precipitation than normal in Belgium, the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) verified.
“This represents a fresh absolute record,” it remarked in its Climate Report for June. The earlier record dates back to 1905 (based on dimensions from 1833), or 119 years ago. “From March to October 1905, Uccle recorded eight straight months with above-average precipitation.”
While the record is noteworthy, the report of excess rainfall barely comes as a surprise, as torrential rainfall was registered on several occasions last month. In mid-June, a month’s worth of rain fell in just one week, leading to surges in several places across the country.
How much rain fell in Belgium’s Uccle in June?
The most extensive daily amount for the month in Uccle was registered this week: 17.6 mm on 18 June. Across the nation, the record was 52.8 mm of rainfall in Frassem (Arlon) on 29 June. The coast witnessed the least amount of rain (about 55% of the usual amount), while the Belgian Lorraine witnessed the highest amount of rain over the complete month (135% of the normal amount).
What weather anomalies did Belgium experience in June?
June was also chillier than usual. “After 22 days, the average climate in Uccle was just 14.5°C” RMI reported. This caused the month the fourth most frigid June since 1991. However, temperatures started to rise towards the end of the month, beating 25°C on several days. This resulted in a definitive average temperature of 16°C, narrowly below the average of 16.7°C for the whole month.
The lowest temperature was registered on 13 June in Neu-Hattlich at 1.3°C, while the most elevated maximum temperature was reported on 26 June in Buggenhout in East Flanders, with 32.2°C. Temperatures varied between 6.0°C on 12 June and 29.5°C on 26 June in Uccle.
Aside from being wetter, June was also slightly more sunny than expected. After 22 days, only 97 hours and 21 minutes of daylight were recorded in Uccle, compared to the standard 141 hours. Again, the sunny days at the end of the month indicated the total sunshine duration for June increased to 186 hours, however, this is still below the average of 199 hours. Finally, RMI registered 11 thunderstorm days, narrowly fewer than the normal amount of 11.8 days.
How has Belgium’s weather differed from the global average?
While people in Belgium were imploring for summer to begin, other nations in Europe and other continents were suffocating under heat. The June 2024 report issued by the EU’s Climate Service Copernicus, depicted the month was warmer globally than any earlier June in the data record.
