Tel Aviv, Eilat downpours beat annual rainfall average
Rainfall along the Tel Aviv coast reaches 125 percent of annual average
An unusual month of rainfall in some areas of Israel saw more downpour over the last few weeks than normally recorded throughout an entire season, according to data compiled by the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS).
The Tel Aviv coast was drenched with 125 percent of its annual average rainfall, recording around 21 inches of cumulative rain brought by heavy thunderstorms, according to the IMS accumulated rain tracker.
In the resort town of Eilat, located in Israel’s south, numbers reached as high as 135 percent of annual average rainfall.
Jerusalem was struck by a cumulative 13 inches of rainfall - accounting for 65 percent of the full season’s average rainfall as a cold wave hit the Holy City.
On Thursday, winter storm Elpis blanketed Jerusalem in a rare snowfall, prompting closures along Highway 1, Road 443, and other streets leading to the city.
The recent flurry and rainfall also brought accompanying weather-related dangers, with at least one death recorded since the start of the season, according to Haaretz.
Unusually heavy downpours left many commuters stuck in their vehicles as the streets flooded in Tel Aviv, and in the West Bank settlement Karnei Shomron, emergency services rescued a child and a man from the Kaneh stream.