First winter storm of season hits Israel - Kinneret rises, Mount Hermon sees snow

Unseasonably warm weather broken by scattered showers from the North to the Negev; winter weather forecasted to continue over weekend.

By SHARON UDASIN
Soldier in Snow 311 (photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Soldier in Snow 311
(photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
The thunderous downpours that rumbled through Israeli skies on Wednesday night proved to be productive on Thursday morning – the first day since April in which Lake Kinneret experienced a rise in its water level.
Lake Kinneret rose by 1 cm. on Thursday morning, as a direct result of ongoing rains that have drenched the country for the past couple days, the Water Authority said. The Kinneret’s water level is now 211.40 m. below sea level, 2.6 m. from full capacity.
A wet first week of December, however, follows what was a particularly arid month of November, the authority acknowledged.
Rain was not the only precipitation to pour over the country overnight Wednesday and throughout the day Thursday.
Mount Hermon welcomed a white wintry snowfall, while the country’s North, Center and northern Negev residents sloshed through puddles.
Rain soaked Israel from its northern tip down to Beersheba throughout the day Thursday – though only 0.3 mm.
had fallen in that southern point by mid-afternoon, according to Israel Services.
Among the weather stations to receive the most rain on Thursday by that same mid-afternoon time were Dorot, east of Sderot in the northern Negev, with 81.8 mm.; Ein Hashofet, in the northern coastal region, with 58.6 mm.; and Beit Jimal, in the Shfela, with 46.7 mm., the IMS reported.
The Tel Aviv station accumulated 5.2 mm., central Jerusalem 20.8 mm. and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa 28.4 mm..
Kfar Giladi in the Galilee received 11.2 mm., while Merom Golan collected 23.1 mm., the IMS data said.
For Friday, the IMS predicted continued scattered showers and partly cloudy skies over the northern and coastal regions of the country, followed by a possibility of isolated showers mainly over the North and coast on Saturday. There will likely be occasional showers with a possibility of isolated thunderstorms over the North and central regions on Sunday, and a chance of isolated showers with partly cloudy skies on Monday, the IMS forecast said.


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