Exceptionally strong winds and heavy rain swept across Israel on Friday, causing widespread damage, injuries and disruptions to air travel, as emergency services reported a fatality along the Mediterranean coast and multiple trees being uprooted.
A 46-year-old kitesurfer was killed at Tei’o Beach in Bat Yam after being lifted from the sea by powerful winds and hurled more than 150 meters onto rocks. Another kitesurfer was lightly injured. Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service paramedics said the man was found unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Stormy weather batters Israel
(Video: Moti Kimchi)
High winds were accompanied by rain and thunderstorms across much of the country, delaying landings at Ben Gurion Airport. By early afternoon, more than 10 aircraft were circling overhead awaiting clearance to land. A Fly Lili flight from Athens turned back, while an El Al flight from Dubai was holding over Jordan.
Elsewhere, falling trees caused injuries and property damage. In Ashkelon, a man about 65 was moderately injured when his vehicle overturned, apparently after being struck by a falling tree, and was taken to Barzilai Medical Center.
In Rishon LeZion, a tree collapsed onto a car, injuring a man in his 40s, who was evacuated in moderate condition to Shamir–Assaf Harofeh Medical Center.
In Herzliya, a tree fell into a home without causing injuries, while in Hadera a pergola blown by the wind struck a young girl, lightly injuring her.
MDA senior medic Yossi Navol said responders arrived quickly at one of the scenes to find a man conscious but injured inside his vehicle. “He told us he was parked when the tree suddenly collapsed onto the car,” Navol said. With the help of bystanders, medics extricated him and transported him to the hospital in stable condition.
The Israel Meteorological Service said the storm system was marked by particularly powerful wind gusts that peaked in the afternoon. Service director Amir Givati said gusts reached 105 kilometers per hour (65 mph) in Hadera and 97 kph (60 mph) in Tel Aviv. Winds exceeding 75 kph (47 mph) were also recorded along the southern coastal plain, including Ashdod and Ashkelon.
Rainfall totals varied widely. Kibbutz Manara in the Upper Galilee recorded the highest amount by 2 p.m., with nearly 30 millimeters (1.2 inches). Jerusalem saw about 26 millimeters, while western Benjamin region locations reported similar amounts. Much lower totals were recorded in the south, including less than 3 millimeters in Be'er Sheva and just trace rainfall in Mitzpe Ramon.
Forecasters said winds and rain would gradually weaken overnight, though localized showers are expected from the north through the Negev. Additional rain is forecast Saturday in northern and central Israel, with a slight further drop in temperatures. Showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to return late Saturday night into Sunday, mainly in the north and along the coast, before conditions improve Sunday and cool again early next week.