Belgium's first-ever September heatwave comes to an end

The past few days of soaring temperatures constitute the first ever September heatwave in Belgium’s recorded history.

A heatwave is declared when temperatures are above 25°C for five days, with at least three of those days seeing a minimum of 30°C.

Readings from the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) indicate these conditions have in recent days been met in Belgium for the first time since measurements began.

“This is the first time we've had such a late heatwave,” said meteorological forecaster Bastien Lombea.

“This heatwave is remarkable because the first day was on 4 September, and its longevity is also remarkable. We've never had a heatwave in September before. In fact, the latest heatwave we've ever had, which was in 2019, ended on 28 August.”

This is the second heatwave of its kind this year, with the first heatwave lasting 10 days and ending in mid-June.

Another record was broken on Sunday, which was the hottest 10 September since records began in Belgium, with a temperature of 31.9°C recorded at the Uccle station.

After yesterday's temperatures close to 25°C, the weather on Wednesday will become more variable again, with cooler temperatures.