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Photo: Israel Electric Corporation
Israel Electric Corporation worker
Photo: Israel Electric Corporation

Sunday night hottest in Israel's history

Nocturnal heat records were broken in many areas of the country; Monday set a new record for power consumption.

Sunday was the hottest day of the year in Israel, and the high temperatures continued into Monday and don't appear to be letting up anytime soon.  

 

 

In quite a few areas, minimum temperatures measured were extremely high on Sunday night and Monday morning, and nocturnal heat records were broken at several measurement stations. Monday once again set a new record for power consumption.

 

The highest minimum temperatures were measured at the Dead Sea, the southern Jordan Valley and the Araba - between 33 to 35 degrees Celsius. The Kinneret measured about 30 degrees, and temperatures in other parts of the north were similar. Jerusalem measured 26 degrees Sunday night, but it was actually warmer there Saturday, with the beginning of the heat wave.

 

The coast, the lowland, Emek Yizra'el and northwest of the Negev measured between 27 and 29 degrees Sunday night. Along with the humidity, which reached 90 percent on the coast, the heat there became unbearable.

 

Heat wave in Jerusalem park (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Heat wave in Jerusalem park (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

 

Record high minimum temperatures were measured on the coast, the Shfela lowland and the northwest Negev Sunday night. Beit Dagan near Rishon LeZion, for example, had a minimum temperature of 28.4 degrees Sunday night, half a degree higher than the previous record in 2010. In other areas the minimum temperatures were close to peak values measured in the summers of 1998 and 2010.

 

Nahal Brigade soldiers in the southern Jordan Valley were particularly suffering from the heat when the electricity in their rooms went out, leaving them too hot to stay in. The soldiers had to move outside to field beds under the flaming sun, in 40 degrees weather.

 

On soldier claimed that "at peak time, 49 degrees Celsius were measured" at the Nabi Musa training base on the slopes between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.

 

Soldiers from the Nahal Brigade in the Jordan Valley
Soldiers from the Nahal Brigade in the Jordan Valley

 

Although temperatures on Monday did fall slightly relative to the day before, humidity rose. All this led to a new record for power consumption being broken once again. According to the website of the Israel Electric Corporation, consumption was at 12,779 megawatts at 2pm, even more than the power consumption on Sunday.

 

The Electric Corporation announced this morning that due to exceptional weather and extreme heat and in light of the recorded peak consumption, estimations are that consumption will reach around 13 300 megawatts and maybe higher.

 

On Monday afternoon, a cleaner from the Kafr Yasif local council suffered from a heat stroke. He experienced spasms and heavy sweating and was evacuated to Nahariya Hospital. He is in serious but stable condition.

 

Yoav Zitun contributed to this story.

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.03.15, 22:19
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