Summer Storms Cause Flooding in Lebanon, Damage in Syria and Cyprus

Summer storms brought dramatic flooding and rescues in Lebanon, significant damage in Syria, and harm to infrastructure in Cyprus over the weekend. In Lebanon, dramatic footage emerged of a child being swept away by floodwaters in the Palestinian refugee camp of al-Badawi in the north, though the child was rescued. Another video depicted a young man risking his life to save people stranded at sea. Flooding and lightning strikes were also reported in the Akkar region.

In Syria, heavy rains caused roads to flood and trees to fall in Latakia, while strong winds in Aleppo dislodged solar panels, causing damage to a parked car. Cyprus also experienced damage from the summer storm, with greenhouses affected and a lightning strike igniting a fire after hitting a power pole. A waterspout was observed from a flight traveling from Cyprus to Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel experienced only minimal rainfall. Light showers were recorded in the Upper Galilee, Golan Heights, and Western Galilee, including cities like Safed and Kiryat Shmona, with less than a millimeter of precipitation by Saturday evening. During the night, low amounts of rain fell in the north, with 2mm recorded in Manara, Bar'am, and Merom Golan. The central region and Samaria also saw light rain, with measurements like 0.3mm at Ben Gurion Airport and 1.2mm in Talmon.

The Israel Meteorological Service had previously updated forecasts, indicating that widespread rain in Israel was unlikely and amounts would be lower than initially expected. Local rain is expected in the north until Sunday afternoon. The weather will be partly cloudy with a further drop in temperatures, making them lower than average for the season, especially in mountainous and inland areas, leading to a significant decrease in heat stress. The forecast for Monday and Tuesday indicates partly cloudy skies with possible coastal drizzle, slightly warmer temperatures but still below average, and increasing heat stress by Tuesday. Wednesday is expected to be clear with a further slight rise in temperatures and increased heat stress.