Israeli winter set to arrive fashionably late, as always
This weekend is set to be rainy and cold, with meteorologists warning of floods in streams and trails in southern and eastern Israel, with possible thunderstorms ahead.
By MOSHE COHEN/MAARIVRain in Jerusalem October 15 2019 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)The heat wave that has been torturing Israelis since the beginning of the month is expected to end in the coming days, and local rainfall combined with sharp declines in temperature are expected this weekend.The weather forecaster at Beit Dagan Meteorological Service, Anna Pavlov, said there will be a five- to seven- degree drop in temperatures. Heat levels in Tel Aviv are expected to reach 25 degrees, in Jerusalem 21, in Haifa 24, in the Kinneret 28, in Be'er Sheva 26 and in Eilat 28. At the same time, local rainfall is expected in the north and in the center of the country, gradually spreading from there to the northern Negev. The meteorological service warns of rivers flooding in the south and in the east of Israel.On Saturday, there will be another slight decrease in temperature, and local rainfall will continue from the north of the country down to the northern Negev, with possible thunderstorms on the horizon. Toward evening, the rain is expected to gradually weaken and cease. On Sunday, a slight increase in heat is expected, along with eastern winds. On Monday, the heat will drop slightly and continue to blow winds in from the east. Climate Change Dept. Manager at Beit Dagan Meteorological Service, Dr. Amos Porat, said that on most days since the beginning of the month, temperatures of more than 30 degrees were recorded in many parts of the country, excluding mountainous areas. No temperature records were set in November, but Porat noted that the sequence of hot days was exceptional.In the first two days of November, Porat said temperatures were close to average, but since November 3, there has been a gradual warming, and to date, temperatures measured in the coastal plain, in the northern Negev and northern valleys have reached maximum temperatures of 28 to 33 degrees Celsius. In the Jordan Valley and in the Arava, maximum temperature reached 30 to 35 degrees. And in the mountains, they reached 23 to 27 degrees.
The data does show that compared to past years, having 10 to 11 hot days in November is unusual. Such a sequence of temperatures higher than 28 degrees in the coastal plain, lowlands, Negev and northern valleys occurred in November only twice in the last 70 years: in 1962 and 2010.Translated by Idan Zonshine.
