Heavy heat load before unusual rain on the weekend — when will the peak arrive?

Even before the sharp change in the weather expected on Saturday night, which will bring with it a significant and unusual rain event that will focus along the coastal plain, during the day (Thursday) no significant change in temperatures is expected, which will remain higher than usual for the season. In many areas across the country, a heavy to extreme heat load is expected today, mainly in the mountains and inland, at the Dead Sea and in the Arava. On the coastal plain, a heavy heat load is expected and the Mediterranean Sea will be wavy, with wave heights ranging between 40 and 70 cm.

Tomorrow there will be a slight drop in temperatures, mainly in the mountains and inland, and they will be normal for the season. Also, there will be a relief in heat loads. On Saturday, no significant change in temperatures is expected, and already in the morning hours there may be drizzles to light local rains, mainly in the north. During the night between Saturday and Sunday, local rain is expected mainly in the north and center of the country, and even isolated thunderstorms are possible in the north. There is a fear of local flooding along the coastal plain.

On Sunday in the morning and afternoon hours, local rains are still expected from the north of the country to the northern Negev. The winds will strengthen and there will be a significant drop in temperatures, which will be lower than usual for the season, mainly in the mountains and inland. A significant further relief in heat loads will be felt. According to estimates, the peak of the rain event is expected early Sunday morning, and in the coastal area about 20 to 30 mm may fall within a short period of one to three hours. The rain may be accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and even hail, and due to its intensity in short periods, there is a significant fear of urban flooding and disruptions, among other things in the cities of Gush Dan and the Shfela.

"Such a thing has never happened in August"

The anomaly of the upcoming event stems not only from the amount of expected rain, but also from the fact that it comes after another significant rain event that was already recorded this month. So far, an August has not been documented in Israel in which two rain events occurred in which more than 10 mm fell, and therefore if the current forecast comes true, according to the Meteorological Service, it will be an unprecedented event historically.

"Such a thing has never happened in August", said the director of the service, Dr. Amir Givati. In the middle of the month, heavy rains fell in the north of the country, in the Jerusalem area and in the settlements near it. At the Meteorological Service station in Ma'ale Adumim, 21 mm were measured within an hour, and later the amount accumulated to about 25 mm — a very unusual figure for the month of August. Now the historical record for the amount of rain in an event in August in Israel may also be broken. The record stands at 33 mm, which were measured in Kfar Galim on August 3, 1971. According to current forecasts, there is a possibility that this figure will also be broken. Another anomaly concerns the geographical distribution of the rain: unlike point and local summer events, this time the rain is expected to spread over large areas — from the north, through the coastal plain and the center to the northern Negev.

Forecast temperatures for today and tonight: Jerusalem 23-33, Tel Aviv 25-32, Haifa 24-31, Safed 23-34, Katzrin 22-38, Tiberias 24-38, Nazareth 23-36, Afula 23-37, Beit She'an 26-41, Lod 24-33, Ashdod 24-32, Ein Gedi 30-40, Beersheba 23-36, Mitzpe Ramon 24-36, Eilat 31-43.