Get your water guns, sprinklers, hats, sunglasses and bottles ready: The hot depression that caused yesterday's heat will continue to affect us today (Thursday), and will even reach its peak.
After the sandstorms hit Israel throughout the day, tomorrow the heat is expected to intensify and there will be another rise in temperatures. Warming across the country will lead to the development of heavy heat. Temperatures will range from 37 to 44 degrees, and in the lowlands and coastal plains will range around 40 degrees. In the mountains it will be a little cooler, and in the eastern valleys the heat will reach 44 degrees Celsius or more. High and medium clouds will partially cover the sky, allowing localized drizzle in different parts of the country.
Gusty winds will blow across the country, causing sandstorms in the south and the possibility of haze in the center.
And if you think it's hotter than that it can't be, you're wrong. You can perhaps take comfort in the knowledge that the current heat is nowhere near the peak temperature recorded in Israel – 54 degrees Celsius – at Tirat Tzvi in the Beit Shean Valley in 1942.
Sandstorms on the road leading to Eilat // Credit: Omri Omri Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Naama Ben Ami
Prohibition on lighting bonfires
The heat will begin to break the day after tomorrow, when a noticeable drop in temperatures will be felt in the coastal and lowland regions. However, conditions will continue to prevail in the eastern valleys. Due to the cloudiness, localized drizzle is still possible across the country.
On Sunday, temperatures will continue to drop, especially in the eastern valleys, and they will be average for the season. The heat will continue to be average for this period on Monday and Tuesday, and skies will be partly cloudy to clear.
Fire in the Shafir Regional Council, photo: Haim Tuito
Due to the extreme weather conditions, and after earlier today, the scorching heat caused a fire in the Shafir Regional Council in the south, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Cpl. Eyal Caspi issued an order prohibiting lighting fires throughout the country until midnight.
It is especially important to check the situation of disadvantaged populations – the elderly, infertile people, pregnant women and toddlers – who are not adequately protected from the heat in order to prevent the possibility of dehydration and heat stroke. It is also appropriate to leave water flasks outside for the stray animals.
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