Rain reached the center as well, after the "disappointing" weekend: all the data

The weather event of the past weekend ended with precipitation amounts much smaller than the early forecasts, but overnight (between Sunday and Monday) and in the early morning hours, the rain appeared in the center of the country and along the coastal plain as well. According to the Meteorological Service data, in the Ramat HaHayal area in Tel Aviv, 7.9 mm of rain was measured in the last 12 hours, in the Jaffa area 1.8 mm, and in the south of the city 0.4 mm. A precipitation amount of 8 mm has not been documented in August in Tel Aviv in recent decades, and this is a record for the city in this month (in August 2023, 9 mm of rain was measured in Haifa). In Ramat Gan, 3.5 mm have fallen since the night, at the Har Bracha station in Samaria 5 mm of rain was measured, and in Itamar 0.6 mm. Low amounts were recorded in the last 12 hours in various places in the north as well, including 0.4 mm in Manara and 0.2 mm in Hosen. 0.5 mm was measured in Gavram on the Ashkelon coast. Rain was also documented in the Shephelah, among other places in Rishon LeZion.

Today, temperatures will rise slightly compared to the last few days, but will still be normal for the season. In the morning hours, drizzle is still possible along the coast, and during the day it will be partly cloudy. Forecasted temperatures tonight and tomorrow: Jerusalem 19–29, Tel Aviv 26–31, Haifa 25–31, Safed 19–30, Katzrin 21–34, Tiberias 24–35, Nazareth 23–33, Afula 24–33, Beit Shean 25–36, Lod 25–32, Ashdod 25–32, Ein Gedi 27–35, Beersheba 22–33, Mitzpe Ramon 19–31, Eilat 28–38.

Why did the rare system mostly bypass Israel?

According to a summary published by the Meteorological Service, from Saturday evening until Sunday morning, local, mostly light rains fell in the north and center of the country, which accumulated in the rainiest spots to only about 2 to 4 mm. The highest amount was measured in Misgav Am — 3.7 mm. The Meteorological Service emphasizes that the rain event itself was not unusual, and in fact, similar or more significant events have occurred about 20 times in the last 70 summer seasons, in the months of July and August.

The forecasts published a few days before the event pointed to the possibility of a powerful and rare rain system, but the Meteorological Service explains that the gap stemmed from a small but significant change in the path of the upper-level trough. The trough that reached the northeast Mediterranean brought with it especially cold air in the middle layers of the atmosphere, at a height of about 5 to 6 km. However, as the event approached, the center of the upper-level trough moved slightly north. The movement changed the pressure map at the ground, and therefore the developed cloudiness was created mainly north of Israel. Thus, in the Gulf of Iskenderun, in western Syria, and in northern Lebanon, storm clouds developed that brought down many tens of millimeters within a few hours, and in many places more than 50 mm, accompanied by thunderstorms and heavy hail.

Winds of 70 km/h, waves of more than 3 meters

Although the rain disappointed relative to the forecasts, the influence of the unusual trough was clearly evident in the winds. The day before yesterday, relatively strong winds for the summer season blew across the country, and at some mountain stations, a constant wind speed of about 50 km/h and gusts of about 70 km/h were measured. In Ma'ale Gilboa, a gust of 72 km/h was measured, in Itamar 69 km/h, and in Safed (Mount Canaan) 68 km/h. In Sodom, the maximum gust reached 68 km/h — the highest value measured there in August since the automatic anemometer was installed about 25 years ago.

The strong winds were also felt on the beaches and the sea became high. The significant wave height reached about two meters, while the maximum waves reached about three meters and even more. Since continuous automatic recording began in 2003, only one case of similar or higher waves has been recorded in the month of August — in the year 2011.

The unusual system also created exceptional temperature gaps. The strong winds that slid down the slopes of the Judean Mountains towards the Dead Sea heated up quickly, and in Sodom, 44.8 degrees were measured the day before yesterday — the highest temperature measured there in the current August. In the mountains, it was actually cooler, and minimum temperatures dropped below 20 degrees. The record was recorded at the Hermon station near the upper cable car, where only 8 degrees were measured last night — the lowest temperature measured in August since the automatic station was established 20 years ago.