Israel Records Unprecedented Summer Rainfall in 136-Year Meteorological Record

The Israeli Meteorological Service reported an extraordinary rainfall event across the region in mid-August, marking a historic record for summer precipitation in the Judean Mountains and surrounding areas. On August 15, rainfall measurements reached unprecedented levels for July and August since records began in the mid-19th century. Jerusalem's Old City station at Saint Anne recorded 30 mm, Maale Adumim 26 mm, Karmei Tzur 20 mm, and Rosh Tzurim 18 mm. The previous summer record was only 2 mm in 1890. Radar data from the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus areas suggest even higher hourly intensities, with return periods estimated at once every 20 years.

On August 16, the rainfall focus shifted to the Jordan Valley, where double-digit summer rainfalls were also unprecedented: Roi settlement received 28 mm, Gatit 12 mm, and Bekaot 10 mm. The Meteorological Service explained that while summer rains are not entirely unusual, they are typically light and confined to coastal and western Galilee regions. Heavy rains in interior areas during summer months are extremely rare but have increased in frequency over the past two decades, a trend linked to global warming and intensified El Niño effects.

This unusual weather event was not limited to Israel but affected neighboring countries as well. In Jordan, the rains caused rare local floods in the Jordan Valley. Syria’s coastal city of Latakia recorded about 130 mm on the night of August 14-15. Significant rainfall was also reported in Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt (Marsá Matruh), and Kuwait. The Meteorological Service noted that the near-simultaneous heavy rains across multiple regions, which are normally under dry air masses suppressing precipitation, represent a highly unusual meteorological phenomenon.