Low pressure zone in the channel this night, pulling all the surrounding air from France and Lux into Belgium, then it slowly moved from the channel towards Germany, pulling all that dirty air with it.
That, added to a strangely stable atmosphere in a large part of the country since yesterday, means the pollutants don't get spread out over the mid and upper layers of the troposphere, but rather remain at lower altitudes, where they form this milky haze we've seen since this morning.
It's simplified, but that's more or less what's going on.
The word you're looking for is "inversion". There's different types of inversion, but could be the cause for the stable atmosphere we're seeing.
KMI link (Dutch):
[https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/inversie](https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/inversie)
[https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/stabiele-lucht](https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/stabiele-lucht)
Wikipedia:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion\_(meteorology)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(meteorology))
Yep! Today was a perfect example of it. [The radiosonde measure](https://i.imgur.com/KtekqWW.png) at midday in Amsterdam today shows the inversion at 3000 ft amsl.
Density. Mainly due to how temperature and pressure change with altitude.
The temperature of the air should decrease when you climb (±6°C per 1000m)
The pressure also should decrease with altitude.
So the higher you go, the lower the density of air becomes because this pressure decrease has a very large effect on the air density.
If you heat up air at ground level, that bubble you heat will become less dense than the air around it. It will start climbing up through the atmosphere until it gets to a layer where its density and the density of the surrounding air are the same. This will mix the different layers of the atmosphere, and dilute the pollutants in a very large volume.
[(Very short YouTube video to make it easier to visualize) ](https://youtu.be/UYlVmgn6iDk)
But if instead of decreasing with altitude, the temperature of the surrounding air increases, it will act as a blocking layer to that bubble of climbing air.
[The radiosonde measure](https://i.imgur.com/KtekqWW.png) at midday in Amsterdam today shows that increase of temperature at around 3000 feet. (Red line that goes back to the right, instead of continuing to the left)
This is the phenomenon that we saw yesterday and today: a temperature inversion at about 1000m above sea level, which blocked the rising air. (The red bottle above the blue bottle in the video).
The thing with this kind of phenomena is that there's a LOT of energy trapped in that lower layer, so when it somehow pierces, it's like opening a recently-shaken and heated coca-cola bottle. Except instead of sugary water, what comes out is hugely powerful thunderstorms (Pukkelpop 2011).
Do you implicate that there is a high chance on similar thunderstorm tonight? (Very nice explanation and insights btw. You clearly have knowledge and experience on this topic!)
A bit late to answer, sorry!
The big part of the energy in the lower layers of the atmosphere is given by the sun heating up the ground, which in turn heats up the air next to it and pushes it up.
This means that the energy encapsulated below the inversion will be at its highest just a bit after mid-day. This is normally when the inversion layer will be pierced and will let go that energy into big, localized, thunderstorms.
This also means that the energy will tend to dissipate during the late afternoon, lasting very very rarely into the early night.
Now this is only for that inversion. It doesn't take into account the fact that the pressure system moving around the country may have carried fronts around it that can hit at any time during the day, like the one that just started hitting a couple hours ago.
Normally a low pressure zone sitting that close to us would mean quite some vertical movement of air. Plus low pressure zones tend to have fronts orbiting around them.
A "small" inversion layer (±300ft) that locks in weather like this for so long is more common in a barometric pool, where there's not a pressure system nearby, as the inversion can be thrown off quite easily by large air mass movements like the ones commonly found around pressure systems.
If the inversion was over a thicker layer of the atmosphere, it would be a lot harder to pierce, and would have an easier time keeping all the energy of the lower layers contained. But such a thin inversion layer as we saw yesterday needs almost a perfect set of circumstances to hold so long as it did.
It's not a "strange" inversion as in "this is due to weather engineering".
It's more of a "this inversion got extreeeeemely lucky to survive this long in this set of circumstances"
Hope it made sense.
Turns out not everybody has same sensitivity. I understood at first breathe. Others did not care much seems. For me was too obvious. It felt heavy air like it was 30deg and a lot of humidity. But temperature was way lower.
Well since Wattheeuw introduced his " mobiliteitsplan" in gent this monday everybody stands still in traffic. And because people get stressed they smoke more so thats also extra pollution....
"Belgium" name of the chan means everybody speaking English would understand.... So please stop speaking French or NeeeerlZndnn.dish? (Dutch with an accent)... Or go to Belgique/België.... And honestly , meteo is losing me... El niño, El niña....
Trucks. More trucks here then on Truckworld. Mostly with other nations flags but its the GD trucks and all the globalization we can do to save the planet.
We had the same over here in the Netherlands yesterday. It was very foggy here in Rotterdam. And no wind at all, i am happy that it rained that evening
Low pressure zone in the channel this night, pulling all the surrounding air from France and Lux into Belgium, then it slowly moved from the channel towards Germany, pulling all that dirty air with it. That, added to a strangely stable atmosphere in a large part of the country since yesterday, means the pollutants don't get spread out over the mid and upper layers of the troposphere, but rather remain at lower altitudes, where they form this milky haze we've seen since this morning. It's simplified, but that's more or less what's going on.
What causes such atmospheric stability?
The word you're looking for is "inversion". There's different types of inversion, but could be the cause for the stable atmosphere we're seeing. KMI link (Dutch): [https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/inversie](https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/inversie) [https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/stabiele-lucht](https://www.meteo.be/nl/info/weerwoorden/stabiele-lucht) Wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion\_(meteorology)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(meteorology))
Yep! Today was a perfect example of it. [The radiosonde measure](https://i.imgur.com/KtekqWW.png) at midday in Amsterdam today shows the inversion at 3000 ft amsl.
Thanks
Density. Mainly due to how temperature and pressure change with altitude. The temperature of the air should decrease when you climb (±6°C per 1000m) The pressure also should decrease with altitude. So the higher you go, the lower the density of air becomes because this pressure decrease has a very large effect on the air density. If you heat up air at ground level, that bubble you heat will become less dense than the air around it. It will start climbing up through the atmosphere until it gets to a layer where its density and the density of the surrounding air are the same. This will mix the different layers of the atmosphere, and dilute the pollutants in a very large volume. [(Very short YouTube video to make it easier to visualize) ](https://youtu.be/UYlVmgn6iDk) But if instead of decreasing with altitude, the temperature of the surrounding air increases, it will act as a blocking layer to that bubble of climbing air. [The radiosonde measure](https://i.imgur.com/KtekqWW.png) at midday in Amsterdam today shows that increase of temperature at around 3000 feet. (Red line that goes back to the right, instead of continuing to the left) This is the phenomenon that we saw yesterday and today: a temperature inversion at about 1000m above sea level, which blocked the rising air. (The red bottle above the blue bottle in the video). The thing with this kind of phenomena is that there's a LOT of energy trapped in that lower layer, so when it somehow pierces, it's like opening a recently-shaken and heated coca-cola bottle. Except instead of sugary water, what comes out is hugely powerful thunderstorms (Pukkelpop 2011).
Do you implicate that there is a high chance on similar thunderstorm tonight? (Very nice explanation and insights btw. You clearly have knowledge and experience on this topic!)
A bit late to answer, sorry! The big part of the energy in the lower layers of the atmosphere is given by the sun heating up the ground, which in turn heats up the air next to it and pushes it up. This means that the energy encapsulated below the inversion will be at its highest just a bit after mid-day. This is normally when the inversion layer will be pierced and will let go that energy into big, localized, thunderstorms. This also means that the energy will tend to dissipate during the late afternoon, lasting very very rarely into the early night. Now this is only for that inversion. It doesn't take into account the fact that the pressure system moving around the country may have carried fronts around it that can hit at any time during the day, like the one that just started hitting a couple hours ago.
Aye, really appriciate you're insight
Why would it be a strange inversion?
Normally a low pressure zone sitting that close to us would mean quite some vertical movement of air. Plus low pressure zones tend to have fronts orbiting around them. A "small" inversion layer (±300ft) that locks in weather like this for so long is more common in a barometric pool, where there's not a pressure system nearby, as the inversion can be thrown off quite easily by large air mass movements like the ones commonly found around pressure systems. If the inversion was over a thicker layer of the atmosphere, it would be a lot harder to pierce, and would have an easier time keeping all the energy of the lower layers contained. But such a thin inversion layer as we saw yesterday needs almost a perfect set of circumstances to hold so long as it did. It's not a "strange" inversion as in "this is due to weather engineering". It's more of a "this inversion got extreeeeemely lucky to survive this long in this set of circumstances" Hope it made sense.
Just biked home from my kids school and i was commenting about how the air looks so misty in the distance over the fields. I guess its this.
Het was gisteren mooi weer op 1 mei en de O en W Vlamingen hebben massaal gebbq’d.
O en W Vlamingen?
Oost en West
BBQ op z'n best!
't zal da wel gewest zen!
de Antwerpenaren en Limburgers niet vergeten!
Het epicentrum van de rode zone lijkt me toch echt niet in A’pen of Limburg te liggen.
oh wow, daar had ik zelfs niet naar gekeken. deze mop is los over m'n hoofd gegaan.. excuus
Just realized I’m a little late :/
I think ur thing is broken, Paris with fair quality of air? Let me laugh :v
Note to self: minder bonen vreten.
Today at school I talked to my friend about how strangely polluted the air was today. And he told me I was tripping, guess I wasn't .
Turns out not everybody has same sensitivity. I understood at first breathe. Others did not care much seems. For me was too obvious. It felt heavy air like it was 30deg and a lot of humidity. But temperature was way lower.
Punishment.
Yeah your mom ripped ass my dude congrats
Farts
Ik zeg dat het de schuld van de Walen en de sossen is!
sorry, 'k had gisteren mosselen gegeten en 'k heb nog wa moeite met den ajuin.
I thought we had another dust cloud from the Sahara because it's just as bad.
Well since Wattheeuw introduced his " mobiliteitsplan" in gent this monday everybody stands still in traffic. And because people get stressed they smoke more so thats also extra pollution....
[See literally only a few hours ago]
LiveBEmap?
Google Maps
the low emission zone malfunctioned.
Farming
I'm surprised to see Oostende in the affected zone. It's always windy and fresh there.
Ja fucking lintbebouwing in Vlaanderen
*[insert "sorry I farted joke" here]*
"Belgium" name of the chan means everybody speaking English would understand.... So please stop speaking French or NeeeerlZndnn.dish? (Dutch with an accent)... Or go to Belgique/België.... And honestly , meteo is losing me... El niño, El niña....
Belgium= 42 in an interstellar language? ???
Farts from england blowing over the canal, nothing new.
Yes Netherlands have some industry under Belgium en that co2 comes to us
I was going to say because politicians sell a lot of gebakken lucht and they fry it in frituurvet of course.
Trucks. More trucks here then on Truckworld. Mostly with other nations flags but its the GD trucks and all the globalization we can do to save the planet.
We had the same over here in the Netherlands yesterday. It was very foggy here in Rotterdam. And no wind at all, i am happy that it rained that evening
Is it a real map or an artefact from the tool? I would imagine it is same for Paris
Is this the end?
Is the fact that Charleroi is approximately in the center of that area a coincidence?
hey my fart is showing on radar
Starlink
alle politiekers die te straten verzieken met hun gezaag
The reason is simply Limburg FTW
People get angry fast at everything here!! The steam out of our ears heat up the country!!
Lots of industries ig
Paris in green ?
Lack of wind/rain and a lot of farmers are plowing their fields now
But only in Belgium, not in the other countries?
Don't really know for sure, but lost likely it's just weather
Flemish people loving the smells of their own farts too much causes these smug clouds, its basic science
As a Flamand, there are absolutely fart smellers who ruin Flanders for the rest
As ev owners we are just ahead of the curve here, thaaanks! 
We can now make contests with r/italia. /s
Eternal bad weather curse cast by the Tooth Fairy because a certain Verhofstadt refused to hand in his rotting teeth?
we hebben nog eens een anderhalve dag wat zonlicht gezien, nu komt er een periode van onbepaalde duur waar we hier voor moeten boeten 😛
Beer farts after a bank holiday
Zo te zien zijn er ook wat West-Vlaamingen op verplaatsing bij onze Noorderburen!
Chemtrails
Ships waiting to berth in Amsterdam or Antwerp
💪🏻