Belgium will finally experience some summer heat on Friday, with temperatures reaching 30°C locally. However, the warm sunny weather will be closely followed by heavy storms and a return to colder temperatures.
On Friday morning, sunny spells will alternate with high and medium cloud cover, by the afternoon, the clearings will widen from the west, and it will get a bit warmer.
Temperatures will easily reach the mid-20s on the coast and in the south of Belgium. In the heart of the country, including in Brussels, and in the Kempen in the northeast, the temperatures will even reach 30°C, the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) confirmed.
"A high-pressure area over Germany and Poland will provide a stable atmosphere today and tomorrow morning, gradually moving eastwards over the next few days. A warm air mass will be brought in," it said. At the RMI's Uccle weather station, 30°C has not yet been recorded this year.
Further clearings are expected on Friday night with temperatures remaining between 12°C and 19°C, and slightly warmer in the cities because of the so-called "heat island" effect which sees warmth being trapped.
Saturday will start with lots of sunshine but cloud fields will appear in the afternoon with an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms locally. "A low-pressure area will deepen over Brittany [France] and send unstable air into the country, from which thunderstorms develop. The timing and exact location of the precipitation is still uncertain," RMI said. The maximum temperatures will remain high for one more day, hovering between 25 and 31°C.
Another "Drache Nationale" (a common Belgian name given to the heavy rain that sometimes falls in the country on National Day) could be on the cards this Sunday, which will at first be changeable, with clearings making way for heavy cloud cover and chances of showers happening all across the country. Maximum temperatures will sit between 21°C and 24°C. So far, next week is expected to see some sunshine with temperatures up to 24°C.
Meanwhile, Southern Europe is experiencing its third heatwave of the year; in Greece, temperatures have surpassed 40°C for ten days in a row and a total of 14 Italian cities (including Rome, Palermo and Florence) have been placed on "red alert" due to the heat and humidity, which accentuates the effect of high temperatures on health.
