Articles | Volume 27, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3169-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3169-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Quantitative rainfall analysis of the 2021 mid-July flood event in Belgium
Michel Journée
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Edouard Goudenhoofdt
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Stéphane Vannitsem
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Laurent Delobbe
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
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Cited
21 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Alternative rainfall storylines for the Western European July 2021 floods from ensemble boosting V. Thompson et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02386-y
- Sensitivity of simulated rain intensity and kinetic energy to aerosols and warm‐rain microphysics during the extreme event of July 2021 in Belgium K. Van Weverberg et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4761
- The mirage of the silver bullet: Exploring the limitations of high-resolution data in flood model validation P. Chakraborty et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134578
- Finite-size local dimension as a tool for extracting geometrical properties of attractors of dynamical systems M. Bonte & S. Vannitsem https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-32-139-2025
- Evolving patterns of hourly rainfall extremes across seasonal regimes in Chennai, India P. Bheeman & S. Rangarajan https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-026-01803-w
- Integrating high-resolution data and species-level traits for enhanced ecosystem projections using a dynamic vegetation model: Case study in Wallonia, Belgium A. Verma et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124329
- Comparing flood forecasting and early warning systems in northwestern Europe T. Busker et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1457-2026
- Leveraging soil diversity to mitigate hydrological extremes with nature-based solutions in productive catchments: an application and insights into the way forward B. Guillaume et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-4661-2025
- Hourly precipitation fields at 1 km resolution over Belgium from 1940 to 2016 based on the analog technique E. Debrie et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6405-2025
- A downward-counterfactual analysis of flash floods in Germany P. Voit & M. Heistermann https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2147-2024
- The July 2021 flood event in the Eifel-Ardennes mountains as simulated by the high-resolution integrated hydrologic model ParFlow K. Goergen et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2025.1571704
- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26:H11 associated with a cluster of haemolytic uraemic syndrome cases following the mid-July 2021 floods in Belgium F. Crombé et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102916
- Assessing the impact of a large multi-purpose reservoir on flood control under moderate and extreme flood conditions P. Chakraborty et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2024.2420007
- Can macro- or meso-scale coping capacity variables improve the classification of building flood losses? D. Rodríguez Castro et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07123-4
- Key Drivers of Flash Flood Damage to Private Households D. Rodríguez Castro et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.70088
- When, at what speed, and how? Resilient transformation of the Vesdre river basin (Belgium) following the 2021 floods M. de Goër de Herve & W. Pot https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-024-00928-3
- Flood drivers and trends: a case study of the Geul River catchment (the Netherlands) over the past half century A. Tsiokanos et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3327-2024
- Flood experience and access to insurance contribute to differences in homeowners’ post-disaster adaptation in a cross-border region of Western Europe T. Endendijk et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02385-z
- Fast generation of high-dimensional spatial extremes H. Van de Vyver https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2024.100732
- A fast high resolution distributed hydrological model for forecasting, climate scenarios and digital twin applications using wflow_sbm R. Imhoff et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2024.106099
- Hydrological modelling of the 2021 mega-flood in the east of Belgium C. Dessers et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134901
21 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Alternative rainfall storylines for the Western European July 2021 floods from ensemble boosting V. Thompson et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02386-y
- Sensitivity of simulated rain intensity and kinetic energy to aerosols and warm‐rain microphysics during the extreme event of July 2021 in Belgium K. Van Weverberg et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4761
- The mirage of the silver bullet: Exploring the limitations of high-resolution data in flood model validation P. Chakraborty et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134578
- Finite-size local dimension as a tool for extracting geometrical properties of attractors of dynamical systems M. Bonte & S. Vannitsem https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-32-139-2025
- Evolving patterns of hourly rainfall extremes across seasonal regimes in Chennai, India P. Bheeman & S. Rangarajan https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-026-01803-w
- Integrating high-resolution data and species-level traits for enhanced ecosystem projections using a dynamic vegetation model: Case study in Wallonia, Belgium A. Verma et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124329
- Comparing flood forecasting and early warning systems in northwestern Europe T. Busker et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1457-2026
- Leveraging soil diversity to mitigate hydrological extremes with nature-based solutions in productive catchments: an application and insights into the way forward B. Guillaume et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-4661-2025
- Hourly precipitation fields at 1 km resolution over Belgium from 1940 to 2016 based on the analog technique E. Debrie et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6405-2025
- A downward-counterfactual analysis of flash floods in Germany P. Voit & M. Heistermann https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2147-2024
- The July 2021 flood event in the Eifel-Ardennes mountains as simulated by the high-resolution integrated hydrologic model ParFlow K. Goergen et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2025.1571704
- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26:H11 associated with a cluster of haemolytic uraemic syndrome cases following the mid-July 2021 floods in Belgium F. Crombé et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102916
- Assessing the impact of a large multi-purpose reservoir on flood control under moderate and extreme flood conditions P. Chakraborty et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2024.2420007
- Can macro- or meso-scale coping capacity variables improve the classification of building flood losses? D. Rodríguez Castro et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07123-4
- Key Drivers of Flash Flood Damage to Private Households D. Rodríguez Castro et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.70088
- When, at what speed, and how? Resilient transformation of the Vesdre river basin (Belgium) following the 2021 floods M. de Goër de Herve & W. Pot https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-024-00928-3
- Flood drivers and trends: a case study of the Geul River catchment (the Netherlands) over the past half century A. Tsiokanos et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3327-2024
- Flood experience and access to insurance contribute to differences in homeowners’ post-disaster adaptation in a cross-border region of Western Europe T. Endendijk et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02385-z
- Fast generation of high-dimensional spatial extremes H. Van de Vyver https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2024.100732
- A fast high resolution distributed hydrological model for forecasting, climate scenarios and digital twin applications using wflow_sbm R. Imhoff et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2024.106099
- Hydrological modelling of the 2021 mega-flood in the east of Belgium C. Dessers et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134901
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 11 Jun 2026
Short summary
The exceptional flood of July 2021 in central Europe impacted Belgium severely. This study aims to characterize rainfall amounts in Belgium from 13 to 16 July 2021 based on observational data (i.e., rain gauge data and a radar-based rainfall product). The spatial and temporal distributions of rainfall during the event aredescribed. In order to document such a record-breaking event as much as possible, the rainfall data are shared with the scientific community on Zenodo for further studies.
The exceptional flood of July 2021 in central Europe impacted Belgium severely. This study aims...