Hardly any rain has fallen in Belgium since 13 May, and it does not look like a drop will fall during the next two weeks either. "It means we are approaching a full month of bone-dry weather," says weatherman Bram Verbruggen. Our sunny weather is the result of a high-pressure area that is blocking rain zones.
Anyone working in the (vegetable) garden will have noticed it: the top soil layers are as dry as a bone. "There is a lot of sun as well as a north-easterly wind, which is a drying wind. The upper layers will be dried out even more," Bram explains.
"The fact that our weather is blocked has to do with the disruption of our climate. We expect such blockages more in future and that means more persistent dry spells and longer rainy periods."
Should we be worried? Bram Verbruggen: "If the dry weather continues, which will be the case for the next two weeks, it will have an impact on the upper air and soil layers and possibly on agriculture too. I'm also thinking of lawns that will turn brown. That is definitely on the horizon."
In the ten-day forecast on waterinfo.be, the Flemish government's website informing us of drought and flooding, we also see more and more blue colours giving way to brown shades on the drought maps.
For agriculture, the extended drought is not yet a problem, as many fields were very boggy after the wet spring. Farmers are happy with the sunny weather, says Mark Wulfrancke of the farmers' organisation ABS. "Many fields can only now be worked after the long wet period".
Flooding on the way?
If the wind starts blowing from a westerly direction, instead of the northeast, then it’s a different story. "Then there is more humidity and you will have dew in the morning," says Verbruggen.
And yes, with the ground bone-dry, we could again face flooding in time. The drought has hardened the soil to such an extent that when there is torrential rain it is difficult for the water to penetrate and it just flows away.