SmogRank / Episodes / Belgium
Belgium, France and 2 more countries, August 2024
For 2 days, from 1 to 2 August 2024, 23 cities in Belgium, France, Germany and 1 more countries had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Menen, Flanders, Belgium: 32.7 µg/m³ on 2 August, about 5.4× its usual 6.1.
No cause named We have no fire or smoke records for these days, so we only say what the measurements show.
Cities reached 23 in 4 countries
Days 2 1 to 2 August 2024
Worst day 2 August 21 cities counted
Furthest above usual 5.4× Mons
Day by day
Play 2 August 21 cities at twice their usual or more
Aarschot Mol Hasselt Houthalen Andenne Namur Zaventem Flémalle-Haute Grimbergen Brussels Antwerp Tilburg Kapellen Liège Breda Eindhoven Charleroi Marche-en-Famenne Ridderkerk Heerlen IJsselstein Rotterdam Eupen Spijkenisse Aachen Schiedam Venray Utrecht Maarssen Nijmegen Venlo The Hague Barneveld Nettetal Jülich Hillegom Badhoevedorp Amsterdam Mönchengladbach Zaanstad Velserbroek Jüchen Velsen-Zuid Purmerend Tournai Bergheim Izegem Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourg Wesel Verdun Pulheim Medemblik Duisburg Reims Thionville Oberhausen Köln Leverkusen Trier Bottrop Borken Essen Bonn Metz Wuppertal Gelsenkirchen Hattingen Saint-Dizier Enschede Koksijde Dillingen Datteln Völklingen Hagen Nancy Neuwied Dortmund Dunkirk Schwerte Saarbrücken Bendorf Koblenz Lüdenscheid Lunéville Unna Groningen Coulommiers Lingen Amiens Münster Creil Bad Kreuznach Calais Limburg an der Lahn Netphen Kaiserslautern Soest Sarcelles Beauvais Domont Paris Boulogne-sur-Mer Osnabrück Wiesbaden Warstein Mainz Wetzlar Friesoythe Rüsselsheim am Main Königstein im Taunus Hattersheim Worms Strasbourg Eschborn Kehl Riedstadt Gießen Bielefeld Lampertheim Ludwigshafen am Rhein Mannheim Frankfurt am Main Marburg an der Lahn Speyer Darmstadt Bensheim Rambouillet Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen Canterbury Clacton-on-Sea Baden-Baden Oldenburg Karlsruhe Dieppe Heidelberg Hanau am Main Norwich Wiesloch Rouen Louviers Bad Wildungen Dreux Michelstadt Großostheim Delmenhorst Pforzheim Évreux Aschaffenburg Rinteln Bremen Canvey Island Gillingham Herrenberg Kassel Oyten Heilbronn Grays Ludwigsburg Fulda Stuttgart Tübingen Newmarket Dartford Filderstadt Dagenham Bexley Seaford Reutlingen Witzenhausen Lauda-Königshofen Hannover Göttingen Le Havre Würzburg London Hildesheim Eisenach Biggleswade Hayes Meiningen Mühlhausen Aalen Goslar Salzgitter Caen Braunschweig Suhl Ansbach Nordhausen Wernigerode Northampton Valenciennes Krefeld Düsseldorf Saint-Quentin Ratingen Roeselare Mechelen Willebroek Evergem Maldegem Stabroek 's-Gravenzande Beveren Kortrijk Zwijndrecht Gent Lochristi Roubaix Maassluis Denain Douai Menen Mons 29 Jul 30 31 1 Aug 2 3 4 5 Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.
How it spread
Gent Gent, 29 July: 7.4 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Gent, 30 July: 10.1 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Gent, 31 July: 16.9 µg/m³, 2.9× usual Gent, 1 August: 27.9 µg/m³, 4.8× usual Gent, 2 August: 26.2 µg/m³, 4.5× usual Gent, 3 August: 11.6 µg/m³, 2.0× usual Gent, 4 August: 9.2 µg/m³, 1.6× usual Gent, 5 August: 8.7 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Lochristi Lochristi, 29 July: 8.7 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Lochristi, 30 July: 12.9 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Lochristi, 31 July: 18.2 µg/m³, 2.7× usual Lochristi, 1 August: 27.2 µg/m³, 4.0× usual Lochristi, 2 August: 32.5 µg/m³, 4.8× usual Lochristi, 3 August: 14.6 µg/m³, 2.1× usual Lochristi, 4 August: 8.2 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Lochristi, 5 August: 9.6 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Mechelen Mechelen, 29 July: no reading Mechelen, 30 July: 10.9 µg/m³, 1.8× usual Mechelen, 31 July: 16.9 µg/m³, 2.9× usual Mechelen, 1 August: 25.2 µg/m³, 4.3× usual Mechelen, 2 August: 20.2 µg/m³, 3.4× usual Mechelen, 3 August: 13.4 µg/m³, 2.3× usual Mechelen, 4 August: 8.1 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Mechelen, 5 August: 8.7 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Willebroek Willebroek, 29 July: 9.8 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Willebroek, 30 July: 9.5 µg/m³, 1.6× usual Willebroek, 31 July: 14.1 µg/m³, 2.4× usual Willebroek, 1 August: 25.1 µg/m³, 4.3× usual Willebroek, 2 August: 20.4 µg/m³, 3.5× usual Willebroek, 3 August: 13.4 µg/m³, 2.3× usual Willebroek, 4 August: 7.2 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Willebroek, 5 August: 8.5 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Menen Menen, 29 July: 8.0 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Menen, 30 July: 11.7 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Menen, 31 July: 19.9 µg/m³, 3.3× usual Menen, 1 August: 20.6 µg/m³, 3.4× usual Menen, 2 August: 32.7 µg/m³, 5.4× usual Menen, 3 August: 7.8 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Menen, 4 August: 10.2 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Menen, 5 August: 7.8 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Roubaix Roubaix, 29 July: 9.1 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Roubaix, 30 July: 11.3 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Roubaix, 31 July: 17.9 µg/m³, 2.7× usual Roubaix, 1 August: 19.4 µg/m³, 2.9× usual Roubaix, 2 August: 32.5 µg/m³, 4.9× usual Roubaix, 3 August: 7.2 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Roubaix, 4 August: 9.1 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Roubaix, 5 August: 8.5 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Denain Denain, 29 July: 8.0 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Denain, 30 July: 10.3 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Denain, 31 July: 13.3 µg/m³, 2.1× usual Denain, 1 August: 10.7 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Denain, 2 August: 31.2 µg/m³, 5.0× usual Denain, 3 August: 7.7 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Denain, 4 August: 9.4 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Denain, 5 August: 7.7 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Zwijndrecht Zwijndrecht, 29 July: 7.9 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Zwijndrecht, 30 July: 12.0 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Zwijndrecht, 31 July: 16.0 µg/m³, 2.5× usual Zwijndrecht, 1 August: 23.5 µg/m³, 3.7× usual Zwijndrecht, 2 August: 30.3 µg/m³, 4.7× usual Zwijndrecht, 3 August: 19.5 µg/m³, 3.0× usual Zwijndrecht, 4 August: 7.0 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Zwijndrecht, 5 August: 9.7 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Evergem Evergem, 29 July: 13.9 µg/m³, 2.1× usual Evergem, 30 July: 20.0 µg/m³, 3.0× usual Evergem, 31 July: 16.8 µg/m³, 2.5× usual Evergem, 1 August: 22.5 µg/m³, 3.4× usual Evergem, 2 August: 29.2 µg/m³, 4.4× usual Evergem, 3 August: 13.0 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Evergem, 4 August: 6.9 µg/m³, 1.0× usual Evergem, 5 August: 10.0 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Roeselare Roeselare, 29 July: 9.2 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Roeselare, 30 July: 12.5 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Roeselare, 31 July: 19.3 µg/m³, 2.9× usual Roeselare, 1 August: 21.5 µg/m³, 3.3× usual Roeselare, 2 August: 28.0 µg/m³, 4.2× usual Roeselare, 3 August: 7.1 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Roeselare, 4 August: 9.3 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Roeselare, 5 August: 7.7 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Kortrijk Kortrijk, 29 July: 7.5 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Kortrijk, 30 July: 10.2 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Kortrijk, 31 July: 16.4 µg/m³, 2.7× usual Kortrijk, 1 August: 22.7 µg/m³, 3.8× usual Kortrijk, 2 August: 27.8 µg/m³, 4.6× usual Kortrijk, 3 August: 7.2 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Kortrijk, 4 August: 8.7 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Kortrijk, 5 August: 7.1 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Stabroek Stabroek, 29 July: 7.8 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Stabroek, 30 July: 11.8 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Stabroek, 31 July: 13.8 µg/m³, 2.3× usual Stabroek, 1 August: 17.7 µg/m³, 2.9× usual Stabroek, 2 August: 27.7 µg/m³, 4.5× usual Stabroek, 3 August: 16.2 µg/m³, 2.7× usual Stabroek, 4 August: 6.1 µg/m³, 1.0× usual Stabroek, 5 August: 10.0 µg/m³, 1.6× usual Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, 29 July: 6.2 µg/m³, 0.9× usual Düsseldorf, 30 July: 7.7 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Düsseldorf, 31 July: 13.2 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Düsseldorf, 1 August: 16.3 µg/m³, 2.3× usual Düsseldorf, 2 August: 27.7 µg/m³, 4.0× usual Düsseldorf, 3 August: 20.6 µg/m³, 2.9× usual Düsseldorf, 4 August: 7.3 µg/m³, 1.0× usual Düsseldorf, 5 August: 9.0 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Krefeld Krefeld, 29 July: 11.0 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Krefeld, 30 July: 11.9 µg/m³, 1.6× usual Krefeld, 31 July: 19.4 µg/m³, 2.6× usual Krefeld, 1 August: 20.6 µg/m³, 2.8× usual Krefeld, 2 August: 27.7 µg/m³, 3.7× usual Krefeld, 3 August: 18.7 µg/m³, 2.5× usual Krefeld, 4 August: 6.9 µg/m³, 0.9× usual Krefeld, 5 August: 11.9 µg/m³, 1.6× usual Douai Douai, 29 July: no reading Douai, 30 July: 9.7 µg/m³, 1.8× usual Douai, 31 July: 13.4 µg/m³, 2.4× usual Douai, 1 August: 10.0 µg/m³, 1.8× usual Douai, 2 August: 27.5 µg/m³, 5.0× usual Douai, 3 August: 7.7 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Douai, 4 August: 8.5 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Douai, 5 August: 7.1 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Mons Mons, 29 July: 4.7 µg/m³, 0.9× usual Mons, 30 July: 7.0 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Mons, 31 July: 13.7 µg/m³, 2.7× usual Mons, 1 August: 11.0 µg/m³, 2.2× usual Mons, 2 August: 27.2 µg/m³, 5.4× usual Mons, 3 August: 7.5 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Mons, 4 August: 10.0 µg/m³, 2.0× usual Mons, 5 August: 7.8 µg/m³, 1.6× usual Maldegem Maldegem, 29 July: 10.5 µg/m³, 1.8× usual Maldegem, 30 July: 12.6 µg/m³, 2.1× usual Maldegem, 31 July: 15.4 µg/m³, 2.6× usual Maldegem, 1 August: 13.9 µg/m³, 2.3× usual Maldegem, 2 August: 27.1 µg/m³, 4.5× usual Maldegem, 3 August: 9.1 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Maldegem, 4 August: 5.8 µg/m³, 1.0× usual Maldegem, 5 August: 8.8 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Beveren Beveren, 29 July: 6.4 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Beveren, 30 July: 11.2 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Beveren, 31 July: 14.3 µg/m³, 2.4× usual Beveren, 1 August: 22.2 µg/m³, 3.8× usual Beveren, 2 August: 26.9 µg/m³, 4.6× usual Beveren, 3 August: 16.2 µg/m³, 2.7× usual Beveren, 4 August: 6.5 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Beveren, 5 August: 9.0 µg/m³, 1.5× usual 's-Gravenzande 's-Gravenzande, 29 July: 6.6 µg/m³, 1.1× usual 's-Gravenzande, 30 July: 9.6 µg/m³, 1.6× usual 's-Gravenzande, 31 July: 6.8 µg/m³, 1.2× usual 's-Gravenzande, 1 August: 7.8 µg/m³, 1.3× usual 's-Gravenzande, 2 August: 26.8 µg/m³, 4.5× usual 's-Gravenzande, 3 August: no reading 's-Gravenzande, 4 August: 5.9 µg/m³, 1.0× usual 's-Gravenzande, 5 August: 8.4 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Ratingen Ratingen, 29 July: 5.4 µg/m³, 0.9× usual Ratingen, 30 July: 6.8 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Ratingen, 31 July: 11.6 µg/m³, 1.8× usual Ratingen, 1 August: 13.6 µg/m³, 2.2× usual Ratingen, 2 August: 26.6 µg/m³, 4.2× usual Ratingen, 3 August: 19.7 µg/m³, 3.1× usual Ratingen, 4 August: 7.0 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Ratingen, 5 August: 8.2 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Saint-Quentin Saint-Quentin, 29 July: 8.8 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Saint-Quentin, 30 July: 12.1 µg/m³, 2.0× usual Saint-Quentin, 31 July: 11.5 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Saint-Quentin, 1 August: 10.8 µg/m³, 1.8× usual Saint-Quentin, 2 August: 25.7 µg/m³, 4.2× usual Saint-Quentin, 3 August: 7.1 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Saint-Quentin, 4 August: 8.7 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Saint-Quentin, 5 August: 9.1 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Valenciennes Valenciennes, 29 July: 7.2 µg/m³, 1.0× usual Valenciennes, 30 July: 9.8 µg/m³, 1.4× usual Valenciennes, 31 July: 13.0 µg/m³, 1.9× usual Valenciennes, 1 August: 10.3 µg/m³, 1.5× usual Valenciennes, 2 August: 25.4 µg/m³, 3.6× usual Valenciennes, 3 August: 7.9 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Valenciennes, 4 August: 8.4 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Valenciennes, 5 August: 7.5 µg/m³, 1.1× usual Maassluis Maassluis, 29 July: 5.9 µg/m³, 1.2× usual Maassluis, 30 July: 8.8 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Maassluis, 31 July: 6.5 µg/m³, 1.3× usual Maassluis, 1 August: 8.9 µg/m³, 1.7× usual Maassluis, 2 August: 25.2 µg/m³, 4.9× usual Maassluis, 3 August: no reading Maassluis, 4 August: 5.0 µg/m³, 1.0× usual Maassluis, 5 August: 7.1 µg/m³, 1.4× usual 29 Jul 30 31 1 Aug 2 3 4 5 Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more. Good 0–50
Moderate 51–100
Sensitive groups 101–150
Unhealthy 151–200
Very unhealthy 201–300
Hazardous 301+
Every city it reached
City Days Highest Usual Above usual
Mons Wallonia, Belgium 1 2 August 4.3 5.4× Menen Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.1 5.4× Denain Hauts-de-France, France 1 2 August 6.2 5.0× Douai Hauts-de-France, France 1 2 August 5.5 5.0× Maassluis South Holland, The Netherlands 1 2 August 5.1 4.9× Roubaix Hauts-de-France, France 1 2 August 6.6 4.9× Gent Flanders, Belgium 2 1 August 5.8 4.8× Lochristi Flanders, Belgium 2 2 August 6.8 4.8× Zwijndrecht Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.4 4.7× Kortrijk Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.0 4.6× Beveren Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 5.9 4.6× 's-Gravenzande South Holland, The Netherlands 1 2 August 5.9 4.5× Stabroek Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.1 4.5× Maldegem Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.0 4.5× Evergem Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.7 4.4× Willebroek Flanders, Belgium 1 1 August 5.8 4.3× Mechelen Flanders, Belgium 1 1 August 5.9 4.3× Roeselare Flanders, Belgium 1 2 August 6.6 4.2× Ratingen North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 1 2 August 6.3 4.2× Saint-Quentin Hauts-de-France, France 1 2 August 6.1 4.2× Düsseldorf North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 1 2 August 7.0 4.0× Krefeld North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 1 2 August 7.4 3.7× Valenciennes Hauts-de-France, France 1 2 August 7.0 3.6×
Daily means in µg/m³. Usual: the city's median for this time of year (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that.
Against other episodes in Belgium and France
Number 20 of 39 episodes in Belgium and France since our records began, by cities reached.
Central Europe, February and March 2023 274 Central Europe, December 2025 to January 2026 170 Western Europe, March 2023 119 Western Europe, January 2024 117 Western Europe, December 2024 75 North-eastern Spain and France, February 2023 72 France, The Netherlands and United Kingdom, January 2023 66 Central Europe, June 2025 63 Western Europe, January 2025 50 North-eastern Spain and France, December 2023 to January 2024 44 France, Belgium and United Kingdom, November and December 2023 43 United Kingdom and Belgium, September 2023 42 Belgium, France and 2 more countries, August 2024 23 Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 39 .
Use this page SmogRank, Belgium, France and 2 more countries, August 2024: 23 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 1 to 2 August 2024, smogrank.com/episodes/2024-08-belgium-france-and-2-more-countries (accessed 3 October 2026).
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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms .
An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes . Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source.
