Brussels - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Wet and gray usually. We get all 4 seasons, not dissimilar to Washington, DC weather and seasons, but generally a bit colder than DC. - Feb 2023
Lots of people complain about Belgian weather but we loved it. Rainy and grey sometimes, yes, but really didn't mind it. - Jan 2022
It rains a ton. Basically, you can assume rain on any day in Brussels. The climate is pretty temperate. However, the summers get hot and there is no air conditioning in any of the housing (this was a huge problem for me). - Oct 2021
Brussels have a fairly warm climate. Winters are pretty mild and summers are not too bad. There a few days weeks when it gets pretty hot especially without A/C in the houses. Embassy only provides fans but not A/C in the housing. I hated the wind the most especially during winter and when it rained. - Sep 2020
Brussels has the reputation for "raining all of the time". Many people complain about the weather here, but I don't find it that bad. Winters tend to be cold and rainy, for sure. From April to October, the weather is nicer than you expect, and honestly, you appreciate the sunny days more than you would elsewhere. Summers have been hot recently and most houses do not have air conditioning. - Sep 2020
It's fairly mild. Definitely four season, with summer and fall being most pleasant. Winter is not that cold; this year it didn't even snow and was rarely at or below freezing. Summer is mild with an average day being 70F, but last year there was a weeklong heat wave with temps over 100F. Very rare. There's no air conditioning so you will have to suffer through with fans. Some people buy portable A/C units but I don't suggest it, you'll only use them for a few days each year, they are expensive, and use a lot of electricity. As I mentioned earlier, it rains a lot - normally a light rain. Take an umbrella with you wherever you go. Summer days are long, with sunset at 10 pm and darkness after 11:00 pm. Enjoy those long days of sunshine before the gray winter sets in! - Mar 2020
Rains ALL the time!!!! Summer is really the only break from it. A little snowfall in the winter but never sticks for more than a day. Weather usually is mild in spring and fall and beautiful when the sun is out. - Feb 2019
Belgium's weather is notoriously gray and rainy, but we are experiencing the effects of global climate change just like the rest of the planet, so we have had a remarkable rain-free fall and winter. It has also been warmer and sunnier. Still, we take our umbrellas with us when we go. - Feb 2019
Cool and drizzly, but not particularly cold. - May 2018
The climate is somewhat similar to the coastal parts of the Pacific Northwest. It's rarely over 30°C and rarely more than a couple degrees below freezing. Snow happens but not that often and it doesn't stick around. It rains often, especially in the winter. Summers are beautiful--sure, it rains sometimes but it's really hard to argue with 25°C and 18 hours of daylight. Winters are not beautiful (see "mental health" section). - Jan 2018
The overall climate is mild. It does get cold for a bit in the winter and each summer we had a week or two of really hot weather. Aside from that it was fall/spring temps most of the time. - Feb 2017
When the sun shines, it is brilliant. It makes you understand where all the "Dutch Masters" got the ideas for their beautiful light. That said, there are also lots of gray and rainy days. Winters have a bit of snow now and then, along some icy and foggy days. - Dec 2016
Lots of gray and rainy days but when the sun shines, it is brilliant (and very appreciated). Winters have some snow but seldom interferes with daily life. Some icy and foggy days as well. - Aug 2014
Every one will tell you that it always rains in Brussels and that the weather is horrible. So far, for us, this hasn't been the case. It has rained a bit, but a whole lot less than Seattle and TONS less than Wellington, NZ (on average it rains 16 inches more per year in Wellington than in Brussels) and it's a whole lot less windy here than in Wellington. I always have a rain coat with me of some kind though, just in case it decides to sprinkle. Our winter this year was very mild, but I know that they had quite a bit of snow the year before, so we'll have to wait and see what this next winter brings us. - Jul 2014
Not too hot in the summer with the exception of a week or two and not too cold in the winter (last winter didn't really get below 10C). Weather tends to be a bit on the dreary side, lots of drizzle and clouds. But, sometimes we get lucky and have a period of several weeks of sunshine! - Apr 2014
Cool most of the year with lots of intermittent light rainfall. Very occasional, very short periods of hot weather and snowfall. - Jan 2014
Chilly, dark, and rainy much of the year- the one downside to living here. No air conditioners are needed because summers are cool. The summers can give you a spectacular month or so and have long days. On the flip side, the winter days are quite short. - Jan 2014
Rain, drizzle, rain, sometimes snow (mild). Warm weather about 5-10 days a year. - Oct 2012
Weather is a bit grim. Lots of rain, overcast a lot. Summers can be muggy, winters grey. - May 2012
Cold, damp and rainy all the time. Also, very dark during the summer months with sunrise past 8:00 a.m. and dark again before 5:00 p.m. - Jan 2012
Poor summers, with long, pleasant springs and falls. Winters vary from no snow to 2-3 weeks of snow. The problem is that few drivers have winter tires, and fewer still know how to maneuver on snow. - Nov 2011
Be prepared for rain, lots of rain. - Aug 2011
Summer is only really hot, in the 90s, maybe three weeks. Winter is only really cold maybe the same amount of time. It is rather mild here. The winters can be rather gray. And there is seemingly a constant threat of drizzle, but everyone learns to live with it. The sun comes out more than the city's reputation claims. Unless you are a serious SAD sufferer, you will have no problems with Belgian weather. - Jul 2011
Very changeable in any one day, with a tendency to a lot of rain, and rather grey skies in winter. - Jun 2011
Unpredictable - one winter it snowed a lot and was quite cold, which is unusual. It's generally not too hot nor too cold, but there are usually exceptions for a few weeks out of the year in each season. The one thing I really miss is thunderstorms - they don't really have them here. - Jun 2011
Grey and wet for nine months of the year and a cool-to-warm summer. It is somewhat like the Pacific Northwest, but without the three months of sun guarantee. - Jun 2010
Weather is variable, often in one day. Summers have been beautiful, winters cold and rainy, even a bit of snow. - Jun 2010
Rain, and more rain. Sunny days do exist, and are gorgeous. But the rain soon returns and can be very wearing. - Mar 2010
Moderate temperatures year round. Does not rain as much as it is cloudy. - Jul 2009
