31 December 2022 will go down in history as the warmest New Year’s Eve since records began. At around 7am temperatures at the Royal Meteorological Institute’s (KMI) headquarters in the Brussels municipality of Ukkel had already topped 16.2°C. This is more than 2°C higher than the previous daily record for 31 December that was set on New Year’s Eve last year.
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The warmest New Year’s Eve on record
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The highest ever December temperature recorded at Ukkel was 16.7°C. This dates from December 1989. It is highly likely that this record too will be broken today.
The exceptionally high temperatures are a result of a stream of very mild air blowing our way from the sub-tropical sector of the Atlantic Ocean. This combined will the high winds means that the air stream hasn’t had time to cool off as it crosses Spain and Belgium. If there wasn’t so much wind the temperatures would not have topped 16°C.
KMI’s David Dehenauw told VRT News that the recent big change in temperatures (just two weeks ago daytime temperatures we well below freezing) is not exceptional. “At the end of the 1970’s temperatures in Ukkel fell by 17°C in just 24 hours”.
Then the fall in temperatures was caused by a sudden change in the direction of the wind that brought with it cold Siberian wind from the east. However, David Dehenauw adds that climate change has meant that instances of extreme weather have increased in recent years.
The weather during the next few days
New Years Eve will remain dry in most areas with some bright spells in areas to the south of the rivers Sambre and Meuse. Saturday night will be cloudy with rain in western areas during the second part of the night.
New Year’s Day will be dull with mild temperatures reaching between 9°C and 14°C. South-westerly winds will be moderate to strong. Gusts could reach speeds of up to 60km/h. The day will start off dry. However, by the afternoon a front bringing rain will reach us from the west. The intensity of the showers will vary greatly from place to place. The lion’s share of the rain will fall in the south of the country. Maximum temperature on the first day of 2023 will reach 10°C on the High Fens and 13°C or 14°C elsewhere.