First winter rainstorms cause floods, fires

Beginning in the early morning, storms hit several cities

Heavy rainfall and strong winds greeted Israelis on Friday morning as winter began to rear its head, causing joy that quickly turned into worry as the weather began to cause damage throughout the country, leaving behind floods and fires.

In northern Israel, the rains were particularly destructive, causing fires in some spots and damaging the roads and infrastructure. Many streets in Haifa, Nahariya and other northern cities were flooded. In Haifa, apartments were flooded, causing material damage but no casualties. Elsewhere, heavy winds caused trees to topple over, hitting utility poles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hrYwkrYScc

Despite the heavy rainfall, reaching 60 millimeters in the Carmel area, according to Ynet News, the Sea of Galilee’s water levels only rose by a few millimeters.

According to weather forecasts, the rainy weather was set to continue throughout the day. On Saturday, however, temperatures were predicted to rise.