The Ardennes have a mild continental climate with four distinct seasons and moderate rainfall year round. Summers are warm and winters are cold. The weather in summer is much milder than might be expected for a continental climate due to the Ardennesâ elevation. The region is made up of forested mountains and rolling hills with sheer-faced valleys carved out by rapid rivers. The mountainous terrain gives rise to wetter weather than in surrounding regions; the Ardennes have the highest annual rainfall in Belgium. Mist and fog are also much more common. The wet weather has led to the development of many boggy areas.
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Summer, from June till September, is mild and sunny. The average high temperature gets up to 22°C from June till August before dropping to 20°C in September. This is in the low-lying areas, where most of the regionâs small population lives. Higher up in the mountains the temperature is obviously much cooler. On a sunny day the temperature can reach into the mid 20s. It is usually pleasantly warm and rarely uncomfortably hot. At night it cools down quite a bit so donât forget to pack a sweater. The average low sits near 10°C for most of the season, dropping just below that in Septmeber. Rain falls frequently, on around half of the days in each month, but this is to be expected in a hilly region. It tends to be much drier at the start of the season. Some heavy storms can be expected around late summer as humidity builds. It is generally quite sunny througout the season with an average of seven hours of sunshine per day, though this drops to five in September.
Autumn, in October and November, starts off mild but soon becomes cool and a bit gloomy. In October the average high temperature is 15°C and on average each day sees four hours of clear, sunny skies. In November this drops to 8°C, which is rather cold, and cloudy skies are the dominant theme, only allowing for an average of two hours of sunshine per day. Night time lows drop to 5°C and 2°C respectively and frosts are common early in the season, especially at higher elevations. Rainfall remains moderate, falling frequently but generally in light to medium showers. Snow starts to fall higher up and has been known to settle at lower elevations in November.
Winter, from December till February, is cold and snowy. Preciptiation levels rise, falling on more days than it doesnât, but usually in the form of snow. January is the coldest month of the year with an average high of 3°C and an average low of -2°C. December and February are not much warmer. Sunshine levels stay around two hours per day for most of the season. The Ardennes has over 800km of ski trails but as most of the mountains are very low there are only ten downhill slopes while the rest are cross-country routes. The largest ski resort is at Baraque de Fraiture.
Spring, from March till May, quickly warms up and is technically the driest time of year. The average high climbs to 10°C in March, 14°C in April and 18°C in May. Night times are still very cool, sometimes dipping below 0°C well into the season and only reaching an average low of 6°C in May. Sunshine levels get up to four hours per day in March and up to six in May. Rainfall is very frequent, still falling on more than half of the days in each month, but it is usually very light.
The Battle of the Bulge: December 16th 1944 â" January 28th 1945
The weather actually played a pivotal role in the Battle of the Bulge. American troops were positioned in the Ardennes forest, largely unable to fight back against the Germansâ relentless shelling due to the severely wet weather. Instead they had to wait it out. Then came heavy snowfall and a dense fog which made it impossible for the allies to provide air support. Hitler called for surrender but the American forces refused despite their impossible position. That day, the dismal weather cleared and reinforcements were finally able to reach them. Slowly, German supplies dwindled and became unable to continue fighting, ensuring the allies of victory. Perhaps if they had been able to attack, the Americans would have lost more troops earlier on, but as they could only hold their ground surprisingly little damage was done by the initial German onslaught. In the end the casualties were high on both sides, the Americans losing around 81,000 men and the Germans losing 100,000, but what Hitler saw as his route to victory became the beginning of his defeat.