Belgium issues orange heat warning as temperatures soar to 36C

Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute issued an orange heat warning for most of the country on Monday as temperatures were forecast to climb to as high as 36C (96.8F), making it the hottest day of the week.

The warning covers all regions except the provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders, where cooler conditions are expected due to the influence of the North Sea.

Inland areas are expected to see highs of up to 36C, while coastal temperatures will remain around 24C to 25C.

Isolated thunderstorms could develop later in the afternoon, mainly in eastern and southern parts of the country.

The prolonged heat wave and ongoing drought are also taking a growing toll on Belgium's agricultural sector, with fruit and vegetable growers reporting reduced harvests, smaller produce and increasing production costs.

Dirk Declercq, an endive grower and chairman of the board of the REO Auction in Roeselare, said farmers have been forced to work through the night or before dawn to irrigate crops and carry out fieldwork before temperatures become too high.

Farmers who previously irrigated fields once or twice a week are now watering crops daily, placing additional pressure on limited water supplies.

The reduced harvests are expected to result in higher prices and fewer products reaching supermarket shelves in the coming weeks.

"Nature is in charge," Declercq said, adding that some endive harvests have been reduced by as much as 75%.