Second darkest October in Belgium since records began

October 2020 was the second darkest October since records began in 1887, the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI) reported on Sunday in its monthly climate report.

In the Brussels municipality of Uccle, the duration of sunshine last month was only 56 hours and 32 minutes. Normally, it is around 112 hours and 38 minutes. The record is still held by October 1998, with only 42 hours and 48 minutes of sunshine.

There has not been a single day with a clear or even slightly cloudy sky. Usually for October there are around 3.4 days. Again, 1998 is the only year on record in which this has happened.

October was also marked by a warm end to the month. In Uccle, temperatures in the first 19 days of the month were all below normal for that period. From the 20th, however, the trend reversed, and the temperatures were then all above normal until the 31st. There was even a spring day, when the temperature exceeded 20 degrees, on 21 October.

Over the whole month, the average temperature of 11.°C was very close to the normal of 11.1. The highest measured during the month was in Liège-Monsin, with 22.4°C on 21 October and the lowest in Elsenborn, with -2.3°C on the 18th.

Last month was also slightly wetter than normal, the RMI notes. In Uccle, it rained very regularly, first between the 1st and 13th, then from the 20th until the end of October. The monthly amount of precipitation was 75.8mm (normal: 74.5mm), recorded in 22 days (normal: 16.6 days). There were also eight days of thunderstorms in the country during the month (normal: 5.9 days).