Winter arrived all at once in Israel this weekend. Days of dry weather and even a heat wave earlier in the week gave way to heavy rain that fell overnight and through Shabbos across northern and central Israel, with several locations recording exceptional amounts within a few hours.
In the most extreme reading, the Israel Meteorological Service station in Kadima recorded 117 millimeters of rain in just an hour and a quarter, breaking a historic record for the area. According to the Meteorological Service, it was also the most extreme day of rainfall recorded in at least six years, since November 2020. Following flooding at several locations, the Kadima-Tzoran local council urged residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.
“We are dealing with exceptionally heavy rainfall in a short period of time,” council head Keren Green said, asking residents not to enter flooded areas and to report hazards to the council’s hotline.
Ashdod was among the hardest-hit cities. According to the Meteorological Service, more than 60 mm fell there in under an hour and a half, and by 9:50 a.m. the total had reached about 80 mm, the highest in the country at the time. Kikar HaShabbat reported that the intensity was caused by a band of clouds that stalled over the city, so the rain kept falling in the same place without letup. Ashdod port recorded 86 mm by late morning, and the city’s total reached about 90 mm within 24 hours, according to Maariv.
Flooding was documented across Ashdod, and some roads where water accumulated were temporarily closed. A temporary power outage hit one neighborhood before electricity was restored. Despite the intensity of the rain, the municipality said about 99% of the city’s streets remained open to traffic.
Binyamina recorded 70 mm, including about 50 mm in a single hour. Kvutzat Yavne, Nir Yisrael, Nahariya and Rehovot each recorded between 54 and 68 mm. Tel Aviv recorded 40 mm, 35 of them in a single hour, while Ashkelon measured 55 mm, Haifa 31 mm and Jerusalem 28 mm. The Sea of Galilee area saw only about 5 mm.
The storm also damaged infrastructure in the Gan Yavne area, where residents of several communities were left without power for hours. The Sharon drainage authority urged the public to stay away from streambeds and flooded areas.
According to the Meteorological Service, temperatures will remain lower than usual. On Sunday it will be partly cloudy to cloudy, with local rain continuing in the north and center and isolated thunderstorms possible in the morning. Local flooding is possible along the coastal plain until midday, especially along the central and southern coast, with flash flooding possible in the Judean Desert and Dead Sea area. The rain is expected to weaken and gradually stop by the afternoon.
