Climate comparison

Colors of the following climate diagrams:
Switzerland
Belgium

Daily maximum temperatures

The highest daytime temperatures in Belgium are reached in July with an average of 23.5 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, with an average of just 6.0 °C. In Switzerland, July is the warmest month, with 25.7 °C. There, it is coolest in January with an average of 4.6 °C.

Night time lows

At night, it cools down to varying degrees depending on the country and altitude. In Belgium, temperatures drop as low as 1.2 °C in January. The warmest nights are in July at 14.3 °C. In Switzerland, it is coolest at night in January at -1.3 °C and warmest in July at 14.7 °C. This corresponds to a cooling of 4.6 to 9.4 °C in Belgium and 5.7 to 11.0 °C in Switzerland.

Humidity

The humidity of the air depends to a large extent on the air temperature. The warmer the air, the more water it can absorb. At a temperature of 25°C it is 23 grams per cubic meter, at 30 degrees it is already 26 grams. Therefore, the air humidity is given as a relative value to the temperature-dependent maximum amount. It becomes unpleasant when high humidity is combined with high temperatures.

Humidex

Humidex is an approximate, sensed temperature calculated on the basis of air temperature, dew point and humidity. It was developed in 1965 by the Canadian meteorologists J. M. Masterton and F. A. Richardson. Since the wind speed is ignored here, it is not very meaningful in areas below approx. 15°C. Above that, it is more reliable, since at higher temperatures humidity plays a greater role than wind.

Rain days per month

By definition, a rain day is a day on which at least 0.1 liters of precipitation per m² fall. This corresponds to a 1 square meter puddle in which the water stands 0.1 mm high — insofar as the water does not seep away or evaporate. So it does not have to rain all day long. December brings the most rainy days (13.3) in Belgium. With an average of only 7.8 days, April is the friendliest. In Switzerland, it rains most often in May with 11.9 days.

Precipitation amount per day

Depending on the season and the location of a country, the wind brings a varying amount of water with it. As a rule, the water evaporating in the oceans is absorbed and then transported inland. The greatest amount of rain (hail or dew are also forms of precipitation) in Belgium occurs in August, when about 2.7 liters per square meter fall per day. In Switzerland, the average amount of precipitation ranges from 1.8 liters per day in March to 4.1 in May. However, these are average values. If you consider that there are only 11.9 rainy days in Switzerland in May, each of them accounts for about 10.4 liters.

Sunshine hours per day

With 1,898 hours of sunshine per year, Switzerland is in the lead. The most hours of sunshine (8.2 per day) are in July. Belgium falls into second place with only 1,716 hours. There the sun is visible in December for only 1.7 hours per day, so not hidden behind clouds.

Hours of daylight

The length of a day varies throughout the year and depends on the distance from the equator. In December, the day in Belgium is only 8.2 hours long. In June, on the other hand, it is 16.4 hours. In Switzerland, it is 8.7 hours in December and 15.8 in June.