Brussels has set up a new record for the driest July in recent times. Hardly 5 mm of rain was recorded in Brussels this month, as compared to the last July’s average of 76.9 mm, as per local media reports.
As per reports, rainfall across Belgium is over 30 times lower as compared to the same time during last year, when exceptional rainfall caused flooding across the nation. The last time that such a dry period was reported in Belgium was in 1885, when just 2.9 mm of rain was noted.
According to the Belgian Royal Meteorological Institute, Belgium is now entering into a new normal of hot summers and drought. The last three consecutive years have been extremely dry.
In comparing average temperatures between 1961-1990 and 1991-2020, the meteorologists can observe an average temperature increase of 1.6°, which experts call “catastrophic.”
Meanwhile, Sébastien Doutre, a climatologist at the University of Liège, said that global warming will continue to raise average temperatures in Belgium. While the temperatures in Belgium typically peak at 30-35°, this is now rising to 35-40°, with an average temperature of 45°in the not-so-distant future.
According to a recent report published by the European Commission, almost half of the European Union (46%) faces drought warnings or alerts (11%) related to soil moisture deficit and plant stress. The report is calling for a new European approach to drought management in the face of global warming.