Belgium and Netherlands brace for heatwaves and heavy rain

Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI), together with the Belgian Climate Centre and CERAC, launched the "Tales of Future Weather" project to illustrate the impacts of extreme heat. A pilot exercise in Mechelen simulated a prolonged heatwave comparable to the 1976 summer, but hotter. The drill revealed strained emergency services, overloaded hospitals, and infrastructure challenges, prompting officials to stress that citizens will need to become more self‑reliant during future climate crises.

In the Netherlands, climate scientist Rob de Vos critiqued a recent KNMI article on heavy rainfall, arguing that the agency’s trend line overstates recent increases. While the number of days with ≥50 mm rain rose in the 1980s, data from the KNMI’s 13 reference stations show the trend has flattened since the 1990s, with exceptionally wet years (2023‑2024) not translating into more heavy‑rain days. De Vos calls for a more nuanced interpretation of precipitation trends amid a warming climate.