June 14, 2003:

    * A large thunderstorm developed in the Jordan River Valley (the Bikaa), and was visible even all the way from Tel-Aviv. Again, this is a rare event for June.

June 13, 2003:

    * Thunderstorms developed in the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee in northern Israel, as a result of cut-off low at 500mb and lower levels, along with high mid-level humidity. This is a rare event for June which is the first month of the dry season.

May 2003:

    * May was hotter than average by 3 to 4 degrees, and in some areas it was the hottest May ever recorded. The first half of the month was 6 degrees hotter than average. The Red Sea trough affected Israel for more than half the month, and it was active (with thunderstorms) on four days: May 4 and 7 in the south, May 6 in Jerusalem and May 11 in the Golan Heights. On May 29-30 a very deep sharav low storm system hit Israel with the lowest pressure ever recorded in May of 995 mb. The low was accompanied by an incredible sand storm which covered the entire country with thick red sand and dust. Thunderstorms broke in many areas on the afternoon of the 29th, with measurable precipitation (which hardly amounted to about the monthly average of less than 5 mm). Temperatures reached up to 43 degrees in the low-lands of central Israel.

April 2003:

    * April was drier and warmer than average. The only measurable rain fell during two cold low pressure storm systems on April 20-21 and 26-27, and the latter brought quite heavy rains which even came close to the monthly average on some areas. The Red Sea trough was hardly felt and was not active, however there were plenty of sharav lows that were accompanied by very high winds and haze, and on the morning of April 25 gusts of up to 100 kph were recorded in the Judean Mountains.

March 2003:

    * March continued the wet trend of February, and again 150% to 250% of the average monthly rainfall were recorded in central and northern Israel. March was also much colder than average, with several occasions of rain/snow mix in Jerusalem and a winter storm with atmospheric conditions that are rare even for the peek of winter. There were 10 consecutive rainy days between the 18th and the 27th.

March 25, 2003:

    * An incredibly deep 500mb low swept across Israel, and brought a rare late snowfall to almost every area above 600 meters, including the mountains of the Negev Desert. Sleet and light snow were also reported in lower areas such as Arad and Modiin. The snow in Jerusalem fell in brief but heavy bursts, and in the end didn't accumulate to more than 1 cm. In the low-lying areas the precipitation was almost entirely hail - which even accumulated in Tel-Aviv and turned the city white, much like a similar event which occured in February 1992. The storm system set a new record for lowest 500mb height ever recorded in Israel - 5330 meters.

March 16, 2003:

    * A single thunderstorm developed over Safed and parts of the northern Galilee Mountains, when an ever-elusive Red Sea Trough unexpectedly brought a pool of high mid-level humidity into northern Jordan. The storm dumped hail for a short time.

March 12, 2003:

    * Rain/snow mix fell in parts of Jerusalem and the Judean Mountains during the morning and evening.

February 2003:

    * February was the wettest month so far this winter, and almost every area in central and northern Israel recorded 150% to 250% of the total average monthly rainfall. The total rainfall from October until February was equal to the rain in February alone, in most areas. It was the wettest month since December 1991, and the wettest February ever recorded.

February 24-26, 2003:

    * A major winter storm struck the Middle East and brought heavy and prolonged snowfall to the Judean Mountains and parts of the Samarea Mountains in Israel. The snow started Monday February 24 at noon, stopped after a while, and during the evening very heavy snowfall started again with blizzard conditions, and didn't stop until noon the next day. Temperatures then rose a little bit above freezing, enough for some light rain in Jerusalem, but in the evening heavy snow returned and this time was accompanied by strong thunderstorms. The snow didn't stop until early noon on Wednesday, February 26. All roads leading to the affected areas were blocked for the duration of the storm. The snow in Jerusalem accumulated to up to 40 cm (16 inches), and in the higher elevations around the city up to 60 cm (2 feet). However in the northern mountains of Israel hardly any snow fell, which was very surprising. This was the longest snow storm in Jerusalem since February 1992, and the heaviest since January 2000.

February 20, 2003:

    * Rain/snow mix fell in parts of Jerusalem during the morning and noon.

October 14-20, 2002:

    * This has been an unbelieveable week. A mixture of different weather systems from the north-west and from the south was the cause of explosive thunderstorm development in all areas of Israel. I can't remember the last time we had 7 consecutive days of autumn or spring thunderstorms. As you can see from the many watches and warnings issued this week, most of them were not only beautiful to watch but also very dangerous. One very dominant storm dumped hail of up to 7cm in diameter on some cities in the Gush Dan metropolitan area (Rishon LeZion, Tel Aviv, etc) and caused extensive property damage. Flash floods occured in Haifa and in the Judean Desert. A complete coverage including pictures will be added soon.

October 9-12, 2002:

    * The first active Red Sea trough affected the Middle-East. On the 9th and 10th, thunderstorms developed in the mountains of Jordan above Eilat. On the 10th, a thunderstorm developed east of the Dead Sea, and lightning were seen all the way from Jerusalem. There was a high risk of a severe weather outbreak in Israel on the 11th and 12th, but the atmosphere didn't really cooperate, and the severe weather was limited to Jordan and Sinai.

September 11, 2002:

    * The first sharav low (desert low) passed over Israel today, bringing with it hot and dry weather and some middle-based clouds. This is a very early appearance for a sharav low, which usually doesn't form until the end of September. A small middle-based thunderstorm developed over the northern Jordan River Valley (Bikaa). A Line of towering cumulus extended from Jerusalem southward to Eilat.

Watches and Warnings:

May 28, 2003:

    * 22:00 - Flash flood watch for central and southern Israel in affect starting May 29 09UTC until May 30 00UTC.

    * 22:00 - Severe thunderstorm watch for central and southern Israel in affect starting May 29 09UTC until May 30 00UTC.

May 7, 2003:

    * 18:00 - Flash flood warning for Eilat and the Arava.

    * 21:20 - Flash flood warning for the central Negev Desert.

May 4, 2003:

    * 13:00 - Flash flood watch for Eilat and the Arava.

March 24, 2003:

    * Winter storm watch for all areas above 700 meters issued for Tuesday, March 25.

    * 23:00 - Severe thunderstorm watch for central Israel, including Tel-Aviv metropolitan area and Jerusalem, in affect starting March 25 03UTC, until March 26 03UTC.

    * 23:00 - Flash flood watch for all areas in Israel, in affect starting March 25 03UTC, until March 26 03UTC.

March 22, 2003:

    * Winter storm outlook issued for Tuesday, March 25.

March 18, 2003:

    * 09:00-18:00 - High wind advisory for all areas in Israel.

February 24 2003:

    * 20:00 - Winter storm warning for the Judean Mountains above 500 meters, including Jerusalem.

    * 20:00 - Winter storm watch for the Galilee Mountains and the northern Golan Heights.

January 21 2003:

    * 09:00 - flash flood warning for the area from Netanya southward to Ashdod.

    * 10:30 - flash flood warning extended eastward to Modiin.

    * 10:45 - severe thunderstorm warning for the area from Herzliya southward to Rishon LeZiyon, and eastward to Modiin.

December 18 2002:

    * 17:00 - flash flood warning for Haifa.

December 9-10 2002:

    * 18:00-06:00 - High wind advisory for all areas in Israel from the central Negev Desert northwards.

November 29 2002:

    * 05:20 - Flash flood warning for the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, the Negev Desert, the Jordan River Valley, and the Arava.

October 30 2002:

    * 20:10 - Flash flood warning for Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, and the northern Arava.

October 28 2002:

    * Severe thunderstorm watch for the central and southern Negev Desert, the Arava, Eilat, Jerusalem, the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea.

    * Flash flood watch for the central and southern Negev Desert, the Arava, Eilat, Jerusalem, the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea.

October 20 2002:

    * 14:35 - Flash flood watch for the southern Negev Desert.

October 19 2002:

    * 14:45 - Flash flood watch for the southern Judean Desert and Mountains.

October 17 2002:

    * 15:10 - Severe thunderstorm warning for the Judean Desert. Possible large hail and damaging winds.

    * 15:22 - Flash flood warning for the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, and the northern Arava.

October 16 2002:

    * 15:00 - Severe thunderstorm warning for the Bikaa area. Possible large hail and damaging winds.

October 15, 2002:

    * 22:30 - Severe thunderstorm warning for all the coastal areas from Ashkelon to Hadera. Possible large hail and damaging winds.

October 14, 2002:

    * Flash flood watch for Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, Bikaa (Jordan River Valley), Arava and Negev Desert.

October 11-12, 2002:

    * Severe thunderstorm watch for Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, the Arava and Eilat.

    * Flash flood watch for Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, the Arava, and the central Negev Desert.