No respite is in sight for one of Israel's wettest ever winters on record. After a wet weekend torrential rain is continuing today from the Upper Galilee to the Northern Negev with snow falling on Mount Hermon. Rain is expected for the entire week with the Israel Meteorological Service forecasting snow on the highest peaks of the central hills on Tuesday and Wednesday, although not at Jerusalem's altitude.
A man had to be rescued when his car was caught in floods in Ashkelon and many roads are blocked today including Road 90 at Ein Gedi by the Dead Sea, Road 234 from the Tze'elim Junction in the Negev and Lehi Street in Bnei Brak.
A modest 20 millimeters of rain fell over Friday and Saturday in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) region where the rivers leading into the lake are already swollen by the heavy rains of the past month. In the past few days the Kinneret's level rose by 6.9 centimeters to 210.715 meters below sea level, 1.915 meters below its maximum level.
All parts of northern and central Israel have already had well over 50% of the average annual rainfall. Since the start of the rainy season in the fall, 532 mm has fallen in Safed, 404 mm in Haifa, 298 mm in Tel Aviv, 351 mm in Jerusalem, 310 mm in Ashdod and 278 mm in Kiryat Gat. Only 84 mm has fallen in Beersheva and 2 mm in Eilat.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 19, 2020
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