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24-792: For several decades a meteorological station was installed at signal de Botrange. Since 1999, it was replaced by an automatic station of the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium installed on Mount Rigi (scientific station of the High Fens - University of Liège ), which is between the Signal and Baraque Michel which was formerly the highest point in Belgium prior to the annexation of the Eastern Cantons in 1919. Signal de Botrange experiences stronger winds than

48-602: A Mexican laborer for his escape. Later in New Orleans , when the city had been taken by Federal forces, he worked with Dr. Louis Charles Roudanez, a physician who founded the bilingual New Orleans Tribune - La Tribune de la Nouvelle-Orléans in 1864. During a period of fierce intraparty rivalries, Roudanez lost outside support and the newspaper closed after the election in 1868 of a Northern Republican as governor of Louisiana. Houzeau then migrated to Jamaica, where he lived for eight years. He kept his European contacts and

72-738: A site shared with the Royal Observatory of Belgium and the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy . Among other remarkable places on site, the climatological park of the RMI is the reference in Belgium for climatology . Under the authority of BELSPO, the RMI makes its priority in providing meteorological warnings to the Belgian population, along with the European organization Meteoalarm . The Institute gives daily weather forecasts to

96-775: Is a Belgian federal institute engaged in scientific research in the field of meteorology. The RMI depends on the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The institute is a member of the World Meteorological Organization , of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts , of EUMETSAT , and of the EIG Eumetnet . In 1823, Adolphe Quetelet obtains from the Minister of Public Education

120-548: Is much greater than most of the rest of the country, at an annual average of 1,450 mm (57 in) compared with 800 mm (31 in) in Uccle : there are over 200 days of precipitation per year (against just over 170 in Uccle). Maximum temperatures in summer rarely exceed 30 °C (86 °F). The number of days of frost is over 130 days per year and the number of days of snowfall exceeds 35 days. The maximum thickness of snow

144-512: The Federal Public Service Health to warn the population in case of ozone peaks and heat waves. Jean-Charles Houzeau Jean-Charles Houzeau de Lehaie (October 7, 1820 – July 12, 1888) was a Belgian astronomer and journalist . A French speaker, he moved to New Orleans after getting in trouble for his politics in Belgium. In the U.S. he continued his journalistic, astronomical, and political pursuits. He

168-610: The Belgian Royal Observatory for "outspoken political views", Houzeau migrated to the United States. In Texas by 1858, he first worked as a surveyor. He moved to Uvalde , where he organized early scientific expeditions. He believed in the abolition of slavery and aided the escape of some notable unionists from San Antonio before the American Civil War. He soon fled to Mexico, disguised as

192-526: The Botrange crowned a steel weather vane with the relieved name SICCO CAMPO until World War II . Meanwhile, the spire serves as transmitter of Radio Contact and reaches a de facto height of 718 m (2,356 ft). In November 2013, at the Signal de Botrange, a 50-metre-high (160-foot) tower with parabolic antennas was agreed to provide data interchange by Microwave transmission between London Stock Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange , because

216-506: The German occupation, the RMI stops all activities. It was bombed on 20 August 1914 and rebuilt at the beginning of 1919. In 1919, Jules Jaumotte, astronomer, aviator from World War I and pioneer in the aerial photography, becomes director of the RMI and focuses on the possibility to realize atmospheric soundings in real time. Those new approaches in the study of atmosphere lead to a new science,

240-734: The Helle, Roer and Schwarzbach to the north (but flowing here to the east), Bayehon to the south, and the Trôs Marets to the west. As in the names of these rivers, although the Signal de Botrange is not a state border, it marks a language border in the area between the Romance languages (south and west) and Germanic languages (north and east) Royal Meteorological Institute The Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (French: Institut Royal Météorologique de Belgique or IRM ; Dutch: Koninklijk Meteorologisch Instituut van België or KMI )

264-571: The RMI inaugurates the Geophysical Center of Dourbes, which studies magnetism and atmospheric electricity among other fields of research. In the 1990s and under the directorate of Henri Malcorps, the RMI started using several new technologies such as the installation in 1992 of a lightning detection system by radio interferometry (SAFIR). It is able to localize every impact of lightning throughout Belgium in real time, with an accuracy of about 1 km. Another example is, in 1993, when

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288-559: The RMI launched a meteorological database easily accessible with a computer: MeteoBBS. This system allows the display of satellite photos, meteorological radar pictures, the SAFIR maps, as well as all observations, weather forecasts and meteorological warnings. The scientific technology is quickly evolving and, in 1995, the METEOSAT satellite localized at 36.000 km above the Earth provided

312-568: The centre of Belgium. Average and extreme temperatures are usually lower than at any other place in Belgium: the minimum temperature recorded (−25.6 °C [−14.1 °F]) does not, however, exceed the absolute record (−30.1 °C [−22.2 °F]), observed in the valley of the Lomme, at Rochefort during a temperature inversion. In winter, for three months, on average, the average temperature remains below 0 °C (32 °F). Rainfall

336-538: The creation of an astronomical Observatory in Brussels. Meanwhile, are the first meteorological observations done with rudimentary instruments. In 1876, Jean-Charles Houzeau de Lehaie becomes the new director of the Observatory. Quickly, he plans to move the Observatory from the site of Sint-Joost-ten-Node to Ukkel , as well as making from astronomy and meteorology two separate departments. On 1 September 1876

360-457: The data transmission via Communications satellite or fibre optic involves a small delay, which interferes the stock exchange trading. The data transfer takes place in real time via the intermediate station Botrange, which was set up directly next to the existing tower. The summit of Belgium is home on its flanks to several sources of Ardennes rivers, all belonging to the Mosan basin, including

384-599: The fields of forecasting, issues concerning atmosphere and climate , the hydrological cycle, observations' systems, magnetism and the ionosphere . The Institute tops a network of meteorological stations all over Belgium, of radars, of a lightning detection system, of measures on satellites... The RMI takes also part into the elaboration of numerous projects, like the Solar Impulse , this extremely light and ambitious plane that functions on solar energy. The Royal Meteorological Institute works together with IRCELINE, and

408-431: The first Belgian weather forecast was edited, based on the analysis of a synoptic map. In April 1903, the first weather balloon was launched, in order to obtain meteorological observations at a higher altitude. On 31 July 1913 the meteorological service of the Observatory becomes an autonomous institute under the name of Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI). Jean Vincent is its first director. From 1914 until 1918, during

432-595: The first high quality images every half-hour. In 2001, the Royal Meteorological Institute acquired a brand new radar able to measure all kind of precipitation within a range of 240 km. It is located in Libramont , in the province of Luxembourg . Dr. Henri Malcorps retired in 2010, and Dr. Daniel Gellens has since then been the director ad interim of the RMI. The RMI is located in Uccle, in

456-449: The public and to a few specific sectors including agriculture , transport , media and energy. Moreover, the RMI publishes a monthly climatological report, containing for every day of the previous month data on wind speed, average/minimum/maximum temperature, precipitation, insolation. It is entirely free and accessible through the RMI website. The current face of RMI reflects the importance given to scientific meteorological research, in

480-608: The synoptic Aerology . In this context, during Belgium's participation to the International Polar Year in 1932–1933, Jules Jaumotte performs automatic cloud photographs at high altitude by balloons, with a method that links the functioning of instruments to their altitude level. During World War II , the institute was used by the Nazis as a military observatory and was destroyed by the English troops in 1944. In 1956,

504-647: Was an abolitionist and joined with unionists in Texas before the American Civil War. In New Orleans he worked with Dr. Louis Charles Roudanez at the newspapers he founded in the 1860s. Houzeau migrated to Jamaica in the postwar years. After reinstatement from an observatory in Brussels , he returned to Europe to work. He came back to Texas for an astronomical event. He published stirring memoirs and other accounts of his adventures and contacts during his travels, as well as several works on astronomical subjects. Houzeau

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528-702: Was born in 1820 in Havré (a small city near Mons ); at the time it was within the Netherlands, and was later included in the independent nation of Belgium . From 1842, he worked as a voluntary assistant at the Brussels Observatory and began writing papers. He eventually became the observatory's director. He travelled frequently during his career, to Paris , the United Kingdom , United States , Mexico , and Jamaica . After being removed from

552-505: Was measured on 9 February 1953, at 115 cm (45 in) of snow. Frost and early snowfall can occur in late September, but that is exceptional. Late snow may sometimes occur until mid-May. At the height of winter the site is used as the start of a number of cross-country skiing routes. In 1923, the 6-metre (20-foot) Baltia tower was built on the summit to allow visitors to reach an altitude of 700 m (2,300 ft). A stone tower built in 1933/34 by François Fagnoul from Ovifat on

576-471: Was reinstated as director of the Royal Observatory in Brussels. He returned to Belgium and his work there as an astronomer. In December 1882, however, Houzeau made a return trip to Texas. He led a scientific expedition, accompanied by Albert Benoît Lancaster and Charles Emile Stuyvaert , to San Antonio to observe a locally visible transit of Venus across the face of the sun. At the time, this

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