Israel shatters November heat records as temperatures soar nearly 18°F above normal

Israel has experienced one of the hottest November months ever recorded in the modern state’s 77-year history. Thousands of Israelis headed to the beaches on Friday as Tel Aviv baked in sweltering heat reaching 34.5°C (94°F). Herzliya, a coastal city just north of Tel Aviv, experienced similar temperatures 34.3°C (93°F). The temperature in Israel’s southern Red Sea resort town of Eilat reached 37.2°C (98°F).

Israel’s Meteorological Service noted that Friday was the single hottest late November day on record. 

“A heatwave still prevails today, with record highs for the month of November, mainly on the coast and Shfela,” it said in an official statement. 

Overall, the Meteorological Service revealed that the temperature on Friday across Israel was on average around 10 degrees Celsius, or 18 degrees Fahrenheit, higher than normal temperatures for November. 

Israel’s National Parks Service reported that around 70,000 people spent the hot Saturday in parks and nature reserves across the country. 

The Meteorological Service has predicted that seasonal autumn winds and lower temperatures will return to Israel on Tuesday. 

Israel’s arid climate is characterized by long and hot summers and comparatively short and mild winters. The Israel Water Authority reported in August that the water level in the Sea of Galilee dropped dramatically as a result of a heatwave. 

The Israel Water Authority official Firas Talhami announced then that “the Sea of Galilee lost several centimeters since the heatwave began, with evaporation rates rising by tens of percent compared to typical summer days.”

This negative trend is not a new phenomenon. For example, the Israeli news outlet Ynet News also reported in August that the level of the Sea of Galilee was 220 centimeters (86 inches) lower than on August 17, 2024. 

Israeli climate experts are concerned that the country is warming and facing longer and more frequent heatwaves. In July 2024, the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS) predicted the country would face increasingly severe heat in the next 75 years due to climate change. 

"The results indicate a high rate of warming in Israel that could reach up to 5°C by the end of the century, compared to the situation in recent decades,” IMS Service Director Dr. Amir Givati said. 

“The report also points to a sharp increase in the probability of extreme weather events: the intensity and duration of heat waves, extreme temperatures during the day and night and, on the other hand, an increase in heavy rain events and flooding. These trends require Israel to prepare for the climate changes that are already upon us,” Givati assessed.

Last winter in Israel was reportedly the driest winter in a century according to the Israeli Water Authority. Israel only received 55% of the average rainfall that it normally gets during the winter period from October until March. 

“We are experiencing one of the driest precipitation seasons recorded in Israel in the last 100 years. However, the Water Authority’s proper preparation, which includes strategic planning and intelligent management of water sources, allows us to continue to provide water for all of the economy’s needs in a stable manner and ensures that the economy will not be affected by the dry winter in the immediate term,” Israeli Water Authority Director Yehezkel Lifshitz stated in February. 

The current forecast is that rainfall this winter will reach some 80% of average levels.