If the Israel Meteorological Service forecast for the coming few days is correct then the country will be sweltering in an unprecedented heat wave, Walla! reports. This will be the first time ever that temperatures would have risen above 38°C for six consecutive days on Israel's coastal plain. The heat wave, which began at the end of last week, saw temperatures rise above 38°C on Saturday. Today Tel Aviv will see temperatures of 27-42°C temperatures, while in Jerusalem it will be 30-38°C. It will be 45°C in Tiberias and Eilat, 43°C in Beersheva, and 48°C in Ein Gedi by the Dead Sea. Temperatures will remain as high tomorrow with the heat not easing off until Friday, and breaking on Saturday.
The current exceptional weather is far more extreme and intense than previous heat waves. In April 1994 there were four consecutive days with temperatures above 38°C on the coastal plain and in June 2012 there were five consecutive days with temperatures above 35°C in the inland hills. In May 1988, there were three consecutive days of temperatures above 41°C on the coastal plain. The record one day temperature recorded in Tel Aviv was 46.5°C in 1916.
The current heat wave comes after the wettest winter for years has seen the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) rise to within 10 centimeters of its maximum level of 208.8 meters below sea level, the Israel Water Authority reports. While the hot weather will melt the snow on Mount Hermon and replenish the flow of water to the Kinneret, evaporation will prevent the lake from reaching its maximum level.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on May 18, 2020
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020 .