Israel expecting ‘unprecedented’ summer rain, potential flooding this weekend

The Israel Meteorological Service issues a warning of “extremely unusual” and “unprecedented” rainfall expected this weekend that could cause flooding and other disruptions.

“We are likely to experience a highly significant and extremely unusual rain event for this time of year” overnight between Saturday and Sunday, the IMS says, with the heaviest rain expected along the northern coast, the Sharon region and the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

“The rain is expected to be accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and even hail,” the IMS adds. “Urban flooding and disruptions are a real possibility in coastal cities due to the intensity of the rainfall, including in the Tel Aviv area and cities in the Shfela.”

It is generally highly unusual for Israel to experience any rainfall in the summer months, although there was a brief downpour two weeks ago in Jerusalem and some surrounding areas.