Tel Aviv temperatures shatter 85-year April record as heatwave scorches country

City records high of 40.7°C, surpassing previous peak of 40.4°C in 1939; three people treated for heat-related injuries; temperatures predicted to drop Friday

People enjoy the beach in Tel Aviv during a heatwave, on April 24, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
People enjoy the beach in Tel Aviv during a heatwave, on April 24, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Temperatures in Tel Aviv broke an 85-year-old record for the month of April on Thursday, the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS) said, as the country remained engulfed in a heatwave for a second straight day.

Shortly after midday, temperatures in the coastal city reached a high of 40.7°C (105.3°F), breaking the previous record of 40.4°C (104.7°F) in 1939.

In Jerusalem, temperatures reached 33°C; in Beersheba, they capped at 39°C; and in Haifa, they came to 38°C, according to the IMS.

The southern community of Nitzan and the West Bank settlements of Galgal and Beit HaArava recorded highs of 42°C.

Channel 12 news reported that three people were treated by medics for heat-related injuries, citing the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

“The current heat is unusual by any standard,” Dr. Avner Gross of Ben Gurion University’s Department of Environmental Sciences told the Ynet news site.

Israelis enjoying the beach in Tel Aviv during a heatwave, on April 24, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

“It’s not that there aren’t heatwaves in April, but the intensity is unusual. It is part of a very heavy heatwave that is affecting the entire Eastern Mediterranean region, like Turkey, Greece and Cyprus,” he said.

The country is expected to have some relief from the heatwave as temperatures were expected to drop on Friday and going into the weekend, while remaining higher than average for this time of the year.

The IMS forecast a maximum of 26°C for Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 29°C for Beersheba, and 27°C for Haifa on Friday.

While it can be difficult to attribute a particular weather event to climate change, scientists insist man-made global warming is behind the multiplication and intensification of heatwaves in the world.

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