This year, the Israeli winter has been much rainier than in the past years, exceeding a multi-year average in the north and center of the country, helping the water levels in the Sea of Galilee to rise significantly. In southern Israel, however, the situation continues to deteriorate with below seasonal average amounts of rain.
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In the north, rainfalls have exceeded the seasonal average not only overall but also month-by-month, an anomaly for Israeli winters. The water levels in the Sea of Galilee have risen since the start of the winter by 1.65 meters (5 feet), and by 7cm (3 inches) in the past 24 hours alone, according to the meteorological services. The freshwater lake now needs some 4.2 meters (14 feet) in order to reach full capacity.
In February, however, most parts of the country saw more rainfall than seasonal average, with rain falling somewhere in Israel almost every single day.
The meteorological services emphasize that the accumulated amount of rainfall since the beginning of the rainy season in some parts of the country has exceeded some 150% of the seasonal average. In the south the accumulated amount reached only 80% of the seasonal average with some areas seeing as little as 55%. The northern Negev, however, saw 120% of the seasonal average.
The rainy weather will continue in the upcoming days as well, with rain hitting northern and central Israel on Monday. According to the Meteo-Tech meteorological company, there is a slight risk of flooding in the Jordan Valley and the northern Judean Desert.
On Tuesday, intermittent rain, accompanied by thunderstorms, will hit most parts of the country as the temperatures will drop below seasonal average. The participations bring a risk of flooding to eastern and southern rivers, while snowfall is expected on Mount Hermon ski resort.