There is an official heatwave, and this has never happened before in the month of September. In Ukkel, near the KMI (Royal Meteorological Institute), the temperature reached 25 degrees on Friday morning, according to KMI meteorologist David Dehenauw.
This is the second heatwave this year in our neighboring country. The first heatwave began on Thursday, June 8, and lasted for ten days. To qualify as a heatwave in Ukkel, it must be at least 25 degrees for five consecutive days, with a minimum of three days reaching 30 degrees or higher. This past Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, temperatures reached 30.9, 30.1, and 30.2 degrees, respectively. This afternoon marks the fourth consecutive day of temperatures exceeding 30 degrees. In the Netherlands, this has not been achieved in De Bilt, so we can only speak of a regional heatwave there.
Never happened before
A heatwave in September has not occurred since the start of measurements in 1833. Dehenauw attributes the prolonged, exceptionally warm weather in the late part of the year to climate change and the current high-pressure system over Belgium.
“Before 1990, we had a heatwave about every four years,” says Dehenauw. “Until 2014, it was roughly every two years. Now we’re averaging about one per year.”
