On Monday afternoon temperatures of 34°C were recorded at the Royal Meteorological Institute’s (KMI) headquarters in the Brussels municipality of Ukkel. This means that 12 August 2024 will go down in the record books as being the hottest 12 August since records began.
The previous record temperature for a 12 August was recorded 21 years ago in 2003. Then temperatures reached 33.5°C. Monday 12 August 2024 was the warmest day since 19 July 2022 when a temperature of 38.1°C was recorded at KMI’s Ukkel HQ.
On Monday Morning a Code Amber weather warning for heat had been changed to Code Yellow for all but three provinces in the west of the country, where temperatures were still expected to exceed 35°C. However, although temperatures in some areas did exceed 34°C, 35°C was not recorded at any of KMI’s weather stations. It was hot, but not as hot as had been initially forecast.
Today (Tuesday) KMI forecasts slightly lower temperatures than yesterday. Temperatures are expected to reach 24°C at the coast and 32°C in the Kempen area in Antwerp and Limburg provinces.