Israel’s clocks spring forward amid unseasonably cold and stormy weather
Unusually low temperatures forecast till weekend, with snow in northern mountainous areas, rain drenching rest of country; clocks moved forward from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Israel was walloped by a storm, with winds and rain buffeting the country, as clocks moved forward overnight Thursday-Friday for daylight saving.
Daylight saving began in Israel at 2 a.m. on Friday morning, when clocks moved forward by one hour to 3 a.m.
Temperatures in Jerusalem dropped to just 3° Celsius on Thursday morning and snow fell on Mount Hermon in the north.
Some snow was also expected in other areas of the Golan Heights plateau as well as mountainous regions in the north above 800 meters (2,600 feet) in altitude, and in central region elevations above 900 meters (2,900 feet).
Rain was forecast for most other areas of the country along with strong winds and temperatures were predicted as Jerusalem 7° Celsius (44.6° Fahrenheit), Tel Aviv 15°C (59°F), Haifa 11°C (51.8°F), Safed 6°C (42.4°F), Beersheba 15°C (59°F) and the southern resort city of Eilat enjoying 21°C (69.8°F).
Due to the rain, there is a concern of flash floods coursing through dry riverbeds in the Judean Desert and Dead Sea region.
The wet weather will gradually ease off on Saturday.
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The storm may be the last gasp of winter as temperatures were set to rise next week into the 20s Celsius, more common for the season.
In 2013, the Knesset passed legislation extending the daylight saving period from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Before that legislation was passed, standard time would begin the Saturday night before Yom Kippur, so that the day’s fast, which is pegged to nightfall, would end an hour “earlier.”
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