Israel’s Meteorological Service updated its forecast Wednesday for the extreme heat wave it warned about earlier this week.
Dr. Amir Givati, director of the service, said the heat wave will begin Thursday and will feature unusually high temperatures inland and an exceptionally long duration.
“By the weekend, there will be heavy to extreme heat stress across all regions, but this time we’ll feel high humidity not only along the coast—where it’s common—but also in many inland and mountain areas that are less accustomed to this combination,” Givati explained.
Temperatures in the mountains and eastern Israel are expected to be very high, approaching 40 degrees Celsius for most of the coming days. They could climb further by midweek, potentially topping 40°C in these areas for the first time since September 2020.
The hottest spots, as usual, will be the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea area, where early next week temperatures could reach 45°C or higher, according to current projections.
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“This isn’t a historic record or a once-in-a-century heat wave,” Givati noted. “As part of this heat wave, we may even get a rare August surprise—on Saturday and Sunday, there’s a chance of local rain, which could be heavy and accompanied by thunderstorms, mainly in the southern Negev and along the Israel-Egypt border.”
In any case, temperatures will continue to rise on Thursday, with further warming on Friday. The trend will persist into Saturday, with extreme heat particularly in eastern regions and oppressive heat stress across most of the country.