Belgium records its hottest summer since measurements began

The summer of 2026 broke Belgium’s heat record, with the country’s average temperature reaching 20.3°C at the meteorological reference station in Uccle, near Brussels. It was the first summer in which the average exceeded 20°C and stood 2.4°C above the 1991-2020 average.

The previous record came in 2018, when the average temperature reached 19.9°C. Belgium experienced three heatwaves, the first from June 17 to 28, followed by two more at the end of July and in August.

Temperatures rose well above 40°C in some parts of the country. The highest officially recorded temperature was 40.4°C in Houyet on June 27, only the third time temperatures have crossed 40°C in Belgium.

The heat came alongside major wildfires in August. The largest wildfire Belgium had seen in a century consumed about 3,000 hectares in the High Fens reserve in the east. Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze for seven days before bringing it under control. A rescued black grouse was among the wildlife affected, with only a few birds of the species remaining in the country. Heatwaves also swept across Europe during the summer, and tens of thousands of deaths on the continent were linked to extreme heat.