A tempestuous night swept across Israel, bringing wind gusts of approximately 62 miles per hour along the coast – peaking at 64 miles per hour in Ashkelon – and causing widespread wind damage.
Heavy precipitation lashed the region overnight Monday and into the early morning hours, particularly in the Judean Hills (central Israel), the Judean Lowlands, and the northern Golan Heights (a strategic plateau in the north). As of Tuesday morning, the monitoring station at Latrun (between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) topped the charts with 2.6 inches of rain, while Jerusalem and Nachshon (a kibbutz in central Israel) both recorded 2.5 inches. In Tzova (west of Jerusalem), gauges also showed 2.5 inches. Further north in Majdal Shams (a Druze town in the northern Golan), 2.3 inches fell, accompanied by light snow during the evening.
Video: Snow south of Jerusalem on January 13, 2026 / Credit: Usage under Israel's article 27a of the intellectual property law
Emergency teams have been operating across the country to rescue stranded citizens. Five people were pulled from a submerged vehicle on Pecker Street in Kiryat Malachi (a city in southern Israel) after a shuttle van became trapped in deep floodwaters. Fire and rescue teams from the local station responded rapidly, extracting the five passengers unharmed and moving them to safety. In a separate incident near Modi'in, firefighters and special rescue units worked to save three individuals stranded on the roof of their vehicle inside Nahal Anava (a stream near Modi'in), caught in a sudden flash flood with powerful currents.
The storm also resulted in serious injuries. A 50-year-old woman is in critical condition after being struck by a heavy object in a flooded home. She was transported to meet Magen David Adom teams at the Shuafat checkpoint (in east Jerusalem) and was evacuated to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital suffering from bodily trauma.
Video: Flooding in the tunnel near Ma'aleh Adumim / Credit: Usage under Israel's intellectual property law's Article 27a
The severe weather wreaked havoc on transportation infrastructure. The tunnels on the road to Ma'ale Adumim (a city east of Jerusalem) have flooded, and Route 1 was blocked east of the Olive Interchange tunnel. Route 90 was blocked in both directions at Nahal Arugot (in the Judean Desert), Nahal Tze'elim, and from the Lido Junction to the entrance of Ein Bokek (a hotel district on the Dead Sea). Additionally, Route 463 was closed to traffic in both directions between the Doar Junction in western Benjamin (the West Bank) and the settlement of Na'ale.
Video: Hail falls near Haifa in northern Israel / Credit: Nethanel Isaac
Freezing temperatures brought a rare dusting of snow to the central region, with light accumulation reported on the western peaks of Gush Etzion (a settlement bloc south of Jerusalem) in the communities of Neve Daniel and Elazar. In the north, heavy snow blanketed Mount Hermon (Israel's highest peak) and the northern Golan Heights at both the upper and lower cable car levels, and the snowfall is expected to continue through the morning.
High-intensity rains are expected to persist in the coming hours, focusing on the central mountain range and the Judean Lowlands. Flash floods have already commenced in the Dead Sea streams – notably Nahal Arugot – and are projected to continue. While the wind intensity has peaked, the severe storm will continue to pound Israel throughout the morning with gusts liable to hit 75 miles per hour. Intermittent showers accompanied by thunderstorms are forecast from the north down to the northern Negev.
