In the first 10 days of July only 1.3 itres of rain fell in Uccle, when the average is 26.5 litres. “This is exceptionally low rainfall and it hasn’t happened in 30 years,” explains climatologist Luc Debontridder from the IRM (Royal Meteorological Institute). The weather has been especially dry in the past few months; April saw half as much rain as usual (24.4l instead of 51.3), June was the same, (with 53.4l instead of 71.8), and now we have had only 1.3l instead of 26.5l in the first 10 days of July. The rain we saw in the past couple of days is not negligible, approximately 5l, but it is not enough. It is good for lawns but plants with deeper roots need more,” said the climatologist.
The sunshine is also having a negative effect on flora, according to the climatologist, who believes the current drought is unrelated to climate change.
(Source: Belga)
