Hot weather is expected to intensify across Israel on Wednesday, with temperatures climbing further above seasonal averages before an unusually wet weather system brings local rain and possible thunderstorms over the weekend.
Morning cloud cover is expected to dissipate Wednesday, giving way to mostly clear skies and a slight additional rise in temperatures. The heat will be particularly pronounced in the mountains and inland areas, with forecasters warning of increasingly oppressive conditions.
Temperatures will remain above normal for the season Thursday. A slight drop is forecast Friday, bringing some relief from the heat, though temperatures will still be somewhat above seasonal averages.
A shift is expected Saturday. Temperatures will initially rise slightly, but local rain is forecast to begin Saturday night across northern and central Israel, with isolated thunderstorms also possible.
The Israel Meteorological Service said Tuesday that even a single rain event in August is rare, while two such events are highly unusual and potentially unprecedented.
The unseasonable weather, more characteristic of fall than late summer, is expected to continue from Saturday night into Sunday. Local rain is forecast across northern and central Israel, the Mediterranean coastal plain, the Shfela lowlands and inland areas.
Some areas could receive heavy rainfall, with accumulations reaching double-digit totals in millimeters, or at least about 0.4 inches, particularly toward Sunday morning.
Jerusalem
(Photo: AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Both the timing and expected amount of rainfall are highly unusual for August and even September. If the forecast materializes, periodic rainfall records could be broken in some locations.
August has already brought unusual weather to Israel, combining above-average temperatures for much of the month with rain events rarely seen at this time of year. According to the Meteorological Service's longer-range forecasts, the August rainfall could be a precursor to more typical fall weather expected in late September and October, when significant rain events are forecast.
Heavy rain struck northern Israel in mid-August, as well as parts of Jerusalem and nearby communities. The rainfall was particularly intense in some areas.
At the Meteorological Service station in Ma'ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, an all-time rainfall record was broken when 21 millimeters, or about 0.83 inches, fell in one hour.
Rain continued afterward in the Jerusalem hills and Ma'ale Adumim, where totals reached 25 millimeters, or about 0.98 inches — an exceptionally high amount for summer. The downpours also caused flooding in neighborhoods in southern and eastern Jerusalem.
Forecast temperatures Wednesday and overnight, with daytime highs listed first:
Jerusalem: 91°F/70°F (33°C/21°C); Tel Aviv: 90°F/77°F (32°C/25°C); Haifa: 88°F/75°F (31°C/24°C); Safed: 93°F/72°F (34°C/22°C); Katzrin: 100°F/72°F (38°C/22°C); Tiberias: 102°F/75°F (39°C/24°C); Nazareth: 97°F/73°F (36°C/23°C); Afula: 99°F/73°F (37°C/23°C); Beit She'an: 106°F/81°F (41°C/27°C); Lod: 91°F/75°F (33°C/24°C); Ashdod: 90°F/75°F (32°C/24°C); Ein Gedi: 104°F/84°F (40°C/29°C); Be'er Sheva: 97°F/72°F (36°C/22°C); Mitzpe Ramon: 97°F/75°F (36°C/24°C); Eilat: 108°F/84°F (42°C/29°C).