Israel is grappling with its second-driest winter in a century, with negligible increases in water levels in key areas. Despite expected rainfall, Israel’s Water Authority warns it won’t offset the drought
Zafrir Rinat. Nir Hasson. Feb 2, 2025
Israel’s winter of 2024 has been the country’s driest of the past century, matched only by the winter of 2009, the Water Authority said on Sunday.
For the first time in many years, no real rise in flows was recorded in Israel’s streams, which is indicative of the extreme drought. As a result, the Sea of Galilee’s water level rose by only two centimeters last month, while the measured flow of water in the Jordan River was the lowest since 1960.
On Wednesday and Thursday, major winter rains are expected to reach the north and center, depositing dozens of millimeters of rain, but officials said the precipitation would not significantly improve the situation.
According to the authority, the only exception to the dry winter was an unusual rain event on the slopes of northern Israel’s Mount Carmel in mid-November, which caused the Zichron Yaakov and Ma’agan Michael measuring stations to record higher-than-average precipitation data for the year to date. In addition, the Nahal Taninim station recorded 563 millimeters of rain, also above the annual average.
The Water Authority predicted that if there is no significant change in the amount of rainfall in Israel, the Sea of Galilee’s water level will come close to the red line of -213 meters below sea level by the end of 2025. The last time it fell under the red line was over five years ago.
The forecasted drop in water levels stems not only from the lack of precipitation but also from the need to release to the Jordan 100 million cubic meters of water annually, as well as to provide water for agricultural needs and for the settlements in the Sea of Galilee basin.
Another factor in the expected drop in the level is delays in the completion of two large desalination plants in the Ashdod and Rishon Letzion areas. If they had commenced operations on schedule they would have reduced the amount of water pumped from the Sea of Galilee.
The decline in the lake’s water level worries the area’s tourism industry, which had hoped it would revive quickly after the war with Hezbollah. The drop is distancing the lake water from the bathing beaches and making it more difficult to operate vessels.
“We are experiencing one of the driest rainfall seasons recorded in Israel in the past century,” said Yehezkel Lifshitz, the Water Authority’s director.
“However, preparation by the Water Authority, which includes strategic planning and intelligent management of water sources, has enabled us to continue to consistently provide water for all the needs of the economy and ensure that the economy will not be affected by the dry winter in the short term,” he said.
“At the same time, options are being examined to increase water production and production capacity.”
Last week, the Israel Meteorological Service reported that January was the most arid in the north since records began. The Golan Heights, the Galilee Panhandle and the Upper Galilee – areas that are usually the rainiest – received only a few millimeters of rain last month, if any.
The lack of rain has been felt in other countries located at similar latitudes to Israel, on both sides of the globe, including Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile and Australia, along with California.
Experts say the unusual winter is related to climate change, whose effects include changes in precipitation patterns. Places near the global desert belt, like Israel, are particularly sensitive to change.