Storm Byron batters Israel with heavy rain and flooding as police search for a missing 19-year-old

Israel faced potential flooding and thunderstorms on Friday after the storm Byron showed signs of weakening. The powerful storm resulted in extensive rainfall and flooding across the country.

Israeli Police announced overnight that they are conducting an extensive search for Eliyahu Abba Shaul, a 19-year-old resident of the largely ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak close to Tel Aviv.

The search for the missing teenager is concentrated along the Yarkon River close to Rokach Street in Ramat Gan where Shaul’s shoes were discovered on the riverbank. The teen left his home on Thursday evening, and the family has reportedly not heard from him since. 

Dan District Police Commander Elad Klein conducted an assessment of the rescue situation together with other senior officers. Police are calling on local residents to assist with any information about Shaul’s whereabouts. 

Authorities evacuated six people in light condition. In addition, a man in his 60s was evacuated in moderate condition with signs of hypothermia.

Some experts had previously warned that Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv faced potential flooding. However, Israel’s Meteorological Service Director Dr. Amir Givati dismissed this scenario earlier this week in an interview with the news outlet Ynet and reported that “Tel Aviv will not be underwater."

While rainfall was expected to continue on Friday in central Israel and the northern Negev region, authorities assessed that the country had already experienced the worst of the storm. 

Byron hit Israel on Wednesday, causing significant rainfall, flooding and even snow on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights located in northern Israel. Emergency units and municipalities were placed on high alert across the country. 

On Wednesday, the Israel Meteorological Service issued an orange warning indicating heavy rainfall for especially the central coastal plain and the Shephelah region. 

Dr. Amit Savir, director of the Forecasting Center at the Israel Meteorological Service, spoke to the local Channel 14 about the storm. 

“The Byron storm itself is expected to bring most of the precipitation tomorrow (Thursday), when there is the most significant potential for widespread flooding,” Savir warned.

Weather monitoring stations close to Atlit on Israel’s northern coast recorded almost 200 millimeters (nearly eight inches) of rain. Northern Israel’s largest city Haifa recorded around 120 millimeters (about five inches) of rain. Meanwhile, some 120 millimeters of rain were recorded in Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv. Multiple other locations across the country recorded some 100 millimeters (four inches) of rainfall. 

The storm led to temperatures that were below the seasonal average, especially in the mountainous parts of the country. However, temperatures were expected to rise slightly on Friday. 

The current forecast is that rainfall will return on Monday with lower temperatures. 

The Sea of Galilee’s water level rose by half a centimeter (0.2 inches) on Wednesday as a result of the heavy rainfall. While the rise was moderate, local officials assessed that the water level would increase further in the coming days due to renewed stream flow. 

The Sea of Galilee, which is strongly associated with the Biblical stories of Jesus, is Israel's largest natural freshwater lake. 

Last month, Israel’s Water Authority announced that it would begin pumping desalinated water to save the lake, which is threatened after years of insufficient winter rainfall.