Just after another rain event in what has been an unusually wet September, temperatures will return to seasonal norms Sunday, the eve of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur itself, conditions will once again turn hot and dry in the mountains and inland areas. Along the coast and in the coastal plain, temperatures are expected to reach 30°C (86°F), with humidity at 65%, creating heavy heat stress.
Later in the week, ahead of Sukkot, temperatures are expected to drop slightly and become more comfortable.
Unusual September rain in Jerusalem
On Tuesday, temperatures will fall slightly, mainly in the mountains and inland areas, followed by another decline in those regions on Wednesday. Light drizzle may even be possible along the coastal plain during the morning hours.
The final third of September has not yet begun, and Israel is already marking the third rain event of the season, which swept through the country on Friday and brought rainfall totals in northern Israel well above the long-term monthly average of 3 to 5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.20 inches).
As in the previous rain event at the end of August, the heaviest rainfall also fell in Lebanon, but large amounts were recorded at Israeli monitoring stations near the border as well.
Metula recorded the highest total in the latest event, with 24.5 millimeters (0.96 inches) of rain. Matat and Shomera, along the northern border, received 19 millimeters (0.75 inches), while Neve Ativ at the foot of Mount Hermon recorded 18 millimeters (0.71 inches).
Farther south, the rain was more localized and fell during the daytime and evening hours, including across the central and southern coastal plain, the Jerusalem hills, Samaria and the valleys.
The community of Eli in Samaria recorded 8 millimeters (0.31 inches), Nitzanim on the southern coast received 5 millimeters (0.20 inches) and even Tel Aviv, in the northern part of the city, recorded 2 millimeters (0.08 inches). Jerusalem received just under 1 millimeter (0.04 inches).
Temperatures also fell over the weekend and were below average Saturday in the mountains, where conditions felt distinctly autumnal.
Forecast temperatures for Sunday and overnight: Jerusalem 17°C-29°C (63°F-84°F), Tel Aviv 23°C-30°C (73°F-86°F), Haifa 22°C-29°C (72°F-84°F), Safed 18°C-28°C (64°F-82°F), Katzrin 20°C-33°C (68°F-91°F), Tiberias 22°C-34°C (72°F-93°F), Nazareth 22°C-32°C (72°F-90°F), Afula 21°C-33°C (70°F-91°F), Beit She’an 24°C-37°C (75°F-99°F), Lod 22°C-31°C (72°F-88°F), Ashdod 23°C-30°C (73°F-86°F), Ein Gedi 25°C-34°C (77°F-93°F), Be'er Sheva 20°C-31°C (68°F-88°F), Mitzpe Ramon 19°C-30°C (66°F-86°F) and Eilat 26°C-36°C (79°F-97°F).