Spring 2023: second wettest since 1991

For meteorologists spring is over on 1 June.  So, it’s time to assess this year’s performance.

The amount of rainfall in particular stands out. "The past two weeks were bone-dry, but in March and April it rained often and sometimes heavily," says weather forecaster Sabine Hagedoren.

"Between March 1 and May 31, a total of 241.6 litres of water fell per square metre. This still puts us well above the average of 165.6 litres per square metre. Still, it is not a record. The spring of 2001 was even wetter." Back then, 276.6 millimetres of precipitation fell. From March 1 to May 31, 2023, it rained on 51 days, compared to 43.5 days normal.

Temperatures though were quite normal. Last spring, temperatures averaged 10.1 degrees Celsius. Between 1991 and 2022, spring temperatures averaged 10.5 degrees. The sun shone for 448 hours, and that is less than the average of 495 hours.

May 2023 was drier than normal though

Looking only at the month of May, we notice it did rain less than normal. This is due to the bone-dry second half of the month. A total of 48.8 litres of precipitation per square metre fell in May. The normal figure is 59.7 litres. All that rain fell in just eight days and that caused flooding in some places.

"Hardly any rain has fallen since 13 May, and it doesn't look like another drop will fall in the next 2 weeks either," weatherman Bram Verbruggen said earlier this week.

"A lot of sunshine and a northeasterly wind is gradually drying out the soil. If this continues, it will have an impact on the upper air and soil layers and possibly on agriculture. I'm also thinking, for example, of brown lawns, which are definitely on the way."

Last month's temperatures were in line with a normal May month. The average was 13.8 degrees Celsius.