Heavy Rain and Snow — And More to Come

After a dismayingly dry December, January began with gishmei brocho: heavy rains, flooding, and snow on Mount Hermon on Monday.

The precipitation began in the north and swept southward to the Negev, dropping 1.18 inches of rain in the western Galil, Haifa and Netanya getting 1.1 inches, and 0.78 inches in Zichron Yaakov and Kfar Saba.

The Water Authority said the Kinneret rose 0.39 inches overnight Monday as a result of direct rainfall. Its level now stands at -214.365 meters, or 1.365 meters below the lower red line, with 5.565 meters of water required to fill the lake.

Haifa was hit by multiple floods. A car in the bay area was swept out to sea, the driver managing to extricate himself from the vehicle in time, and was unharmed. In other parts of the city, emergency teams were dispatched to rescue drivers stranded in sudden floodwaters.

Almost six inches of snow was measured on the upper slopes of Mount Hermon, about half as much further down. However, skiers will have to wait, as the site was not open yet due to fog and ongoing snowfall.

The meteorological services were forecasting more light rain on Tuesday; an interval of clear skies and slight warming on Wednesday; and then more rain starting on Thursday morning.