Israel Faces Rare August Storms and Heavy Rain After Intense Heatwave
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Following a severe heatwave, Israel is bracing for rare August storms with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and flood risks starting Saturday night, especially in northern and central regions. This unusual weather event follows earlier heavy rains in August and raises concerns about flash floods in desert areas.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel experiences intense heat with temperatures up to 41°C before a major weather shift.
- A rare and intense rainstorm with thunderstorms is expected Saturday night through Sunday morning.
- Heavy rains may cause sudden urban flooding and flash floods in the Judean Desert and Dead Sea.
- This is the second unusual rain event in August, a month typically dry in Israel.
- Earlier August rains broke records in Maale Adumim with heavy hourly rainfall.
- Sunday will see cooler temperatures and possible local rain mainly in northern and eastern Israel.
After several exhausting days of intense heat and heavy humidity across Israel, the summer heatwave is set to break with a sharp weather change bringing unusual rain, thunderstorms, and flood risks in urban areas. On Thursday, temperatures remained high with 41 degrees Celsius recorded in Eilat, 38 in Tiberias, and 36 in Kiryat Shmona and Beersheba, while coastal humidity intensified the heat sensation, such as in Tel Aviv where it felt much hotter than the 32 degrees measured.
Meteorologist Liad Aviv from Meteo-Tech warned that the current calm weather will soon end. Although Friday will see only a slight temperature drop, it will be a brief respite before a significant storm arrives. Starting Saturday afternoon, winds will strengthen in the mountains and local rain will begin in the north. The main event is expected late Saturday night, with a short but intense and highly unusual rainstorm for August hitting northern, central, and coastal regions.
These heavy rains will be accompanied by dramatic thunderstorms and raise serious concerns about sudden flooding in city centers. The rainfall could reach double-digit millimeter amounts in some areas by early Sunday morning, an extremely rare occurrence for August. This will be the second consecutive rain event this month, which is notable since even a single rain event in August is uncommon.
Earlier in August, heavy rains affected northern Israel and Jerusalem, with Maale Adumim recording a record 21 millimeters in one hour and 25 millimeters subsequently, exceptional for the summer season. The Meteorological Service also issued warnings about potential flash floods in the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea region due to the expected rains.
Sunday is forecast to be partly cloudy to clear with a slight temperature decrease, and local rain may continue mainly in the north and eastern areas during the afternoon.
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