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Israel swelters through hottest day of the year

omrif — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 13:30:11 +0000

The Israel Meteorological Service released an update Sunday afternoon on the severe heatwave sweeping the country. According to the latest data, Sunday has emerged as the hottest day of the current summer, and indeed of all of 2025 so far.

According to data from the Meteorological Service, the temperature at the Sdom weather station in the Dead Sea region reached a yearly high of 46.5°C (115.7°F), just three degrees shy of the all-time record for the area. In the Jordan Valley and around the Sea of Galilee, temperatures ranged from 43 to 44°C (109.4 to 111.2°F). In Tel Aviv, an extreme heat stress index was recorded, with the mercury hitting 33°C (91.4°F) and humidity levels soaring to 70 percent.

The Dead Sea. Photo: GettyImages

The heatwave has not been limited to Israel. Neighboring countries are also experiencing unprecedented temperatures. On the Turkey-Syria border, temperatures hit 50.5°C (122.9°F), setting a new all-time record for the region. The extreme heat in the eastern Mediterranean has sparked massive wildfires, particularly in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, making this summer the worst in 50 years for those countries, the Israel Meteorological Service noted.

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Extreme weather forecast for Israel

ErezL — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 06:47:49 +0000

The Israel Meteorological Service has forecast unusual weather patterns across the country beginning Wednesday, with severe winds expected to particularly impact the southern Sea of Galilee area. Wind gusts could reach speeds of up to 62 mph from sunrise through 11:00 a.m. local time, with even more powerful gusts anticipated during Thursday morning.

Weather officials have urged residents to take necessary precautions, exercise extreme caution while driving, and avoid travel on potentially dangerous routes. All water activities on the Sea of Galilee and the lower Jordan River have been suspended indefinitely.

Bathers in Tel Aviv enjoying the summer (Yehoshua Yosef) Yehoshua Yosef

The climate in Israel varies considerably despite the country's small size. Along the Mediterranean coastal plain, which includes major cities like Tel Aviv, the climate is typically Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Average summer temperatures range from 25°C to 32°C (77°F to 90°F), while winter temperatures usually stay between 10°C and 18°C (50°F to 65°F). This region receives most of its rainfall between October and early May.

Despite its reputation for sunshine and heat, Israel faces significant weather-related challenges during its winter months. Flash floods pose a serious threat in the Negev Desert's narrow wadis between October and April, where sudden downpours can transform dry riverbeds into raging torrents within minutes. The Israel Meteorological Service issues several flood warnings each winter, particularly for popular hiking areas.

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Why are tourists visiting Israel during war?

adin — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 06:30:00 +0000

Visiting Israel during the summer is most definitely the best time to do so. Yet Israeli summer during an ongoing war with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraqi militias, and the Yemeni Houthis who occasionally raise their heads is probably slightly more problematic.

Nevertheless, Tel Aviv's beaches are filled with tanned tourists enjoying their vacation carefree. From individual adults to families with kids roaming the streets from all around the world, for a moment, Israel's reality seemed almost normal. The question is, what makes tourists eagerly visit a war zone?

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Israel's bleak summer: 35 children, teens, die in accidents over school break

Oren Klass — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 06:56:17 +0000

According to figures published by children's safety NGO Beterem on Wednesday, 35 children and teenagers in Israel died in accidents this past summer.

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It was a higher total than the average number of deaths over the past five years (2016-2020), which stands at 82.

The main causes of death over summer vacation were car accidents (15 cases), and drowning (10). The number of road fatalities over summer vacation this year was higher than the average from the past five years, which were 13 deaths per year. Six of the deaths were infants (0-4), four were in the 5-9 age group, two were aged between 10-14, and three were between 15-17.

In terms of drownings, this summer has been more deadly compared to last summer, when there were four such incidents. Three children this summer drowned in the sea, three in pools, two in tubs, one in a water reservoir, and one in a river.

"Most of the accidents could have been prevented," said Beterem CEO Orly Silbinger. Every one of [the children] was an entire world, and their deaths are a terrible tragedy for their families and friends. Summer vacation is over, but we still have another month of holidays and vacations ahead of us.

"Our experience tells us that in such periods of time, of alternating routines, the risk of accidents for kids is higher. With that, we need to remember that accidents are not predestination.

"Following safety guidelines can prevent the next disaster. Do everything in your power to keep the children safe," she said.

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Hundreds evacuate as wildfires near Jerusalem threaten homes

Noga Martin — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 14:45:27 +0000

First responders were working Sunday afternoon to evacuate residents of at least three communities near Jerusalem because of out-of-control wildfires, the Jerusalem District Police reported.

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Late Sunday afternoon, a second major fire was out of control near Ramat Raziel, Shoeva, and Eitanim. Reports from Shoeva said that the fire was approaching residences closest to the forest.

Video: Omri Padiha

Evacuations have been ordered for homes on Beit Meir, Ramat Raziel, and Kiryat Yaarim.

A firefighting plane drops flame retardant on the wildfires raging outside Jerusalem on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021 (Israel Fire and Rescue Services) Israel Fire and Rescue Services

One of the fires was reportedly moving toward the Jerusalem Mental Health Center at Eitanim, making an evacuation a possibility.

Eight firefighting aircraft were pouring flame retardants on the forested areas in an attempt to check the spread of the fires, which were feeding off the extreme summer heat and high winds.

All firefighters from the Jerusalem District Fire and Rescue services, even those off-duty, were scrambled to help battle the fires.

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Wildfires rampage in Greek forests, causing 'biblical' destruction

Noga Martin — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 05:21:56 +0000

Three large wildfires churned across Greece on Saturday, with one threatening whole towns and cutting a line across Evia, the country's second-largest island, isolating its northern part. Others engulfed forested mountainsides and skirted ancient sites, leaving behind a trail of destruction that one official described as "a biblical catastrophe."

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A flotilla of 10 ships – two Coast Guard patrols, two ferries, two passenger ships and four fishing boats – waited at the seaside resort of Pefki, near the northern tip of Evia, ready to evacuate more residents and tourists if needed, a Coast Guard spokeswoman told The Associated Press, on customary condition of anonymity.

Firefighters were fighting through the night to save Istiaia, a town of 7,000 in northern Evia, as well as several villages, using bulldozers to open up clear paths in the thick forest.

The fire on Evia forced the hasty Friday night evacuation of about 1,400 people from a seaside village and island beaches by a motley assortment of boats after the approaching flames cut off other means of escape.

The other dangerous fires were one in Greece's southern Peloponnese peninsula, near Ancient Olympia and one in Fokida, in the Central Greece Region, north of Athens. The fire in Ancient Olympia moved east, away from the ancient site, threatening villages in a sudden flare-up Saturday afternoon.

North of Athens, the fire on Mount Parnitha, a national park with substantial forests, was still burning with occasional flare-ups, but a Fire Service spokesman told the AP late Saturday that containment efforts were "going well." Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias told reporters Saturday night that firefighters hoped to contain the fire Sunday.

Smoke from that fire was still spreading across the Athens basin. Earlier, the blaze had sent choking smoke across the Greek capital, where authorities set up a hotline for residents with breathing problems.

One volunteer firefighter died Friday and at least 20 people have been treated in hospitals over the last week during Greece's most intense heat wave in three decades. Temperatures soared up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday visited the fire department's headquarters in Athens and expressed his "deep sadness" for the firefighter's death. He later visited the airport, west of Athens, from which firefighting planes take off and thanked the pilots, Greek as well as French, who arrived to support the firefighting effort.

Securing aid for everyone affected by the wildfires will be "my first political priority," he said, promising that all burnt areas would be reforested.

"When this nightmarish summer has passed, we will turn all our attention to repairing the damage as fast as possible, and in restoring our natural environment again," Mitsotakis said.

A local official in the Mani area of southern Peloponnese, south of Sparta, estimated the wildfire there had destroyed around 70% of her area.

"It's a biblical catastrophe. We're talking about three-quarters of the municipality," East Mani Deputy Mayor Eleni Drakoulakou told state broadcaster ERT, pleading for more water-dropping aircraft.

Other officials and residents in southern Greece phoned in to TV programs, appealing live on air for more firefighting help.

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Greece requested help through the European Union's emergency support system. Firefighters and aircraft were sent from France, Spain, Ukraine, Cyprus, Croatia, Sweden, Israel, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and the United States.

On Saturday alone, Germany's Disaster Assistance agency tweeted that 52 firefighters and 17 vehicles from Bonn and 164 firemen and 27 vehicles from Hessen were heading to Athens to help. Egypt said it was sending two helicopters, while 36 Czech firefighters with 15 vehicles left for Greece.

The causes of the fires are under investigation. Three people were arrested Friday – in the greater Athens area, central and southern Greece – on suspicion of starting blazes, in two cases intentionally.

Another person, a 47-year-old Greek, was arrested Saturday afternoon in the Athens suburb of Petroupoli for lighting two fires in a grove and setting four dumpsters on fire, police said.

Greek and European officials also have blamed climate change for the large number of fires burning through southern Europe, from southern Italy to the Balkans, Greece and Turkey.

Fires described as the worst in decades have swept through stretches of Turkey's southern coast for the past 10 days, killing eight people. The top Turkish forestry official said 217 fires had been brought under control since July 28 in over half of the country's provinces, but firefighters still worked Saturday to tame six fires in two provinces.

In Turkey's seaside province of Mugla, a popular region for tourists, some fires appeared to be under control Saturday but the forestry minister said blazes were still burning in the Milas area. Environmental groups urged authorities to protect the forests of Sandras Mountain from nearby fires.

Further north, at least six neighborhoods were evacuated due to a wildfire in western Aydin province, where shifting winds were making containment efforts difficult, Turkish media reported.

Municipal officials in Antalya, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, said a wildfire was still burning around the Eynif plain, where wild horses live.

Massive fires also have been burning across Siberia in northern Russia for weeks, forcing the evacuation Saturday of a dozen villages. In all, wildfires have burned nearly 15 million acres this year in Russia.

In the US, hot, bone-dry, gusty weather has also fueled devastating wildfires in California.

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Highway 1 closed due to wildfire in Mevasseret Zion

Noga Martin — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 12:54:03 +0000

A wildfire erupted in a forested area near Mevasseret Zion outside Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, prompting an evacuation of some residents nearest to the fire line.

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Authorities shut down eastbound traffic on Highway 1 from the Hemed interchange. The Latrun interchange was also shut to eastbound traffiice

Report of a brush fire came in shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday. The Mevassaret Zion local authority reported that the fire was spreading toward the Nof Harim neighborhood and that first responders and firefighters were on the scene, trying to contain it. By 3:20 p.m. residents of Nof Harim closest to the fire had been evacuated.

Six firefighting aircraft were scrambled to support the firefighters from the air.

Some parliamentarians-designate were concerned that the road closures would prevent relatives from arriving to see them sworn in on Sunday afternoon.

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Last Wednesday, multiple firefighting squads were called in to battle out-of-control forest fires outside Jerusalem.

One fire broke out on Har Haruach outside the city and spread to nearby communities Neve Ilan, Kibbutz Maaleh Hachamisha, Abu Ghosh, and other locations, aided by the hot and dry June weather, combined with strong winds.

Commanders of the Jerusalem District Fire and Rescue Services issued orders for residents of Kibbutz Maaleh Hachamisa who live in the homes closest to the fire to evacuate.

The KKL-JNF called the fire at Maaleh Hachamisha on Wednesday a "major event," and its own personnel were helping firefighters from the Fire and Rescue Services.

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Wildfires across Israel force thousands to evacuate

Noga Martin — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 09:56:04 +0000

Firefighters from 25 stations were scrambled to battle a massive wildfire that broke out Friday morning between Modi'in Illit and Kfar Oranim.

Police reported that all residents of Kfar Oranim were being evacuated, and a few homes had caught fire. A squadron of four firefighting aircraft were also trying to douse the flames from the air.

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The fire, fueled by unusually hot, dry weather, was spreading toward Kfar Ruth and Lapid, and four teams of firefighters were deployed near those communities to prevent it from reaching the homes.

Watch: the fire near Moshav Margaliot

Video: Lilach Shoval

The cause of the fire was under investigation, and officials were looking into a possible link between it and fires that were set overnight Thursday during riots and clashes between residents of Modi'in Illit and police forces who were trying to break up gatherings held against COVID public health regulations.

A total of 13 rioters were arrested, and many others were fined.

Firefighters from the Modi'in Illit station worked all night to put fires set by young protesters, while being pelted with rockets, bottles, and various other objects.

Also on Friday, a natural wildfire broke out in the village Umm al Kutuf in Wadi Ara. Firefighters and police were working to evacuate local residents, and firefighting aircraft were deployed.

At the end of an emergency meeting to assess the situation, Deputy Commander of the Menashe District Chief Supt. Rami Raz said, "This is a fire that originated in the local brush. Right now it is not under control, and we have started evacuating homes in the village. The police is asking the public to follow instructions and traffic changes, which are being shared via the media."

Other fires were reported in northern Israel in the Churchill Forest in Nof Hagalil and near the Eilut-Zippori intersection. Firefighting teams were battling those blazes, as well as a fifth that began near Moshav Margaliot on the northern border.

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Late summer heatwave drives energy consumption to all-time high

Noga Martin — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:30:35 +0000

Israel is undergoing an extreme heatwave that began on Saturday and intensified Sunday, with temperatures approaching 50° Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.

The Israel Meteorological Service registered temperatures including 42°C (107.6°F) in Eilat, 38°C (100.4°F) in Jerusalem, 47°C (116.6°F) in Tiberias and 33°C (91.4°F) in Haifa.

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Despite the heat, the Health Ministry has issued a statement calling on the public to wear face masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

The ministry warned Israelis, especially senior citizens and those who suffer from chronic health conditions, to "avoid exposure to heat and sun, as well as unnecessary physical exertion, while drinking water and residing in air-conditioned places as much as possible."

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has banned hiking on certain routes, including in the Judean Desert, until temperatures go down.

On Sunday afternoon, electricity consumption in Israel hit an all-time national record of 14,089 megawatts (MW), topping by 135 MW the previous record set earlier this year during an unusual heatwave in May.

During the May heatwave, the Health Ministry temporarily waived the requirement to wear face masks in public.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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Man shot to death in fight over parking space at Ramle mall

Noga Martin — Sun, 28 Jul 2019 14:15:28 +0000

A 74-year-old man from Lod was arrested Sunday afternoon on suspicion of fatally shooting another man after an argument erupted between the two over a parking space at the Azrieli shopping center in Ramle in central Israel.

The suspect has been detained for questioning. Police were looking into whether he had a license to carry the gun he allegedly used in the shooting.

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The victim, 40, is reported to be a resident of Ramle. He leaves behind a widow and two children, who were apparently in the car when he was shot.

Magen David Adom paramedic Ofir Shaish, who was scrambled to the scene of the shooting, said, "When we got to the mall parking garage we saw a man … lying unconscious on the ground with bullet wounds to the body. Police were trying to resuscitate him.

"We continued the emergency treatment and continued to try and resuscitate him using drugs, artificial respiration, and massage. We loaded him into the ambulance and took him [to the hospital] in critical condition. His wife and children, who were there at the time of the incident, were upset and were taken care of by other MDA personnel who were there," Shaish said.

The victim succumbed to his wounds shortly after arriving at the hospital.

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