Israelis at the Sea of Galilee, August 28, 2020. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
After a particularly dry month of November, the water levels in the Sea of Galilee are lower than they were at the same time last year.
The current level is minus 210.645 meters (minus 691 feet), meaning that a further 1.845 meters of water are needed (6 feet) for it to be full.
The level is 66 centimeters lower than the same date last year.
The warm temperatures over the past month have been a far cry from last year, when Israel experienced the wettest November since 1994, causing extensive flooding and damage in several coastal cities.
Even before those rains, the Sea of Galilee was at its highest level in two decades.
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The water level came close to its all-time low in April 2017, when it dropped to 212.95 meters (about 698 feet) below sea level.
In this April 25, 2020 photo, birds rest on as an empty tourist ship is anchored in the Sea of Galilee, locally known as Lake Kinneret (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Wednesday’s figures were announced with no sign of rain forecast for the coming days.
Apart from storms over the weekend, the past month in Israel has been particularly dry, with experts warning the conditions are similar to those in previous years that saw devastating blazes.
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Nir Stav, head of the Israel Meteorological Service, told The Times of Israel last week that the trend of warming climate meant that this November will probably turn out to be one of the hottest on record.
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