Israel bakes in record heat as temperatures expected to approach 50ºC Times of Israel
13 August 2025
Jerusalem, which experienced unusual summer rain Tuesday night, set to reach 39ºC; Dead Sea experiences highest-recorded minimum daily temperature of 36.6°C
full report: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-bakes-in-record-heat-as-temperatures-expected-to-approach-50oc/
Shattering decades-old records: Israel braces for extended heatwave – Jerusalem Post
The heat wave is expected to peak on Wednesday, with interior regions, including the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee area, forecast to approach 50°C.
ByPESACH BENSON/TPS, TPS. AUGUST 13, 2025 1
Israel is sweltering under a record-breaking heat wave on Wednesday morning that has shattered decades-old temperature records and brought unprecedented overnight heat. According to the Israel Meteorological Service, Tuesday night was the hottest since measurements began, with Mount Sodom setting a new national record for minimum temperature at 36.6°C, surpassing the previous 35.5°C.
Eilat and Yotvata also broke records, registering 35.8°C and 33.7°C, respectively, while the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area endured a sticky night of around 30°C with 82% humidity.
The heat wave is expected to peak on Wednesday, with interior regions, including the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee area, forecast to approach 50°C. “The northern valleys and Jordan Valley are likely to see their hottest day since 1942,” the Meteorological Service said. Jerusalem had already reached 35°C early in the morning, with temperatures in southern areas near the Dead Sea climbing to 37°C.
On Tuesday, Jerusalem hit 41.3°C and was briefly cooled by rare tropical rain, while the Hula Valley recorded 46.3°C. In Beit She’an, the thermometer read 45.7°C, and Kibbutz Gilgal posted 38.5 “discomfort units” — the highest ever recorded — combining 47.2°C heat with 26% humidity.
Coastal cities like Tel Aviv and Bat Yam saw slightly lower readings of 31.5°C thanks to sea breezes, but humidity compounded the heat stress. Eilat sweltered at 44°C, accompanied by thunderstorms
Wednesday’s forecast calls for heavy heat across the country, steamy and humid along the coast, and possible afternoon thunderstorms in the south, with haze in some areas. Localized rain and storms could persist into the night. The Meteorological Service issued a nationwide red warning for extreme heat stress, warning of risks including dehydration, heatstroke, wildfires, harm to sensitive populations and animals, transportation disruptions, and possible electricity failures.
Public urged to avoid outdoor activity, drink water
Authorities are urging the public to take precautions: avoid unnecessary outdoor activity during peak heat, stay in shaded or air-conditioned spaces, drink plenty of water, and wear light clothing and hats. People are warned never to leave children or pets in closed vehicles and to check in on elderly neighbors and relatives.
“These are exceptional and dangerous conditions,” forecasters cautioned, adding that other unlisted hazards may arise depending on local weather.
While slight relief is expected starting Thursday, temperatures will remain well above normal. Friday should bring a further dip, mainly in the mountains and inland, but heat loads will still be heavy to extreme. A more significant cooldown is forecast for Saturday.
Wednesday’s expected highs and lows include: Jerusalem 29–40°C, Tel Aviv 27–35°C, Haifa 26–34°C, Safed 29–41°C, Katzrin 28–44°C, Tiberias 30–41°C, Nazareth 26–38°C, Afula 26–41°C, Beit Shean 29–47°C, Lod 26–38°C, Ashdod 28–33°C, Ein Gedi 34–45°C, Beer-Sheva 26–41°C, Mitzpe Ramon 29–40°C, and Eilat 34–49°C. The Meteorological Service advises continued vigilance until the heat wave passes.
Rise in home births
Israel’s ongoing heat wave reached its peak on Wednesday, prompting a noticeable rise in births outside hospital settings. Magen David Adom (MDA) reported six births handled by its teams since early morning — double the daily average.
Dr. Rafael Strogo, MDA’s Deputy Chief of Medical Affairs, cited heat stress, dehydration, and sleep deprivation as possible factors accelerating labor. Dr. Shapir Butner, director of the MDA Paramedic School, noted that high temperatures may also lead expectant mothers to delay hospital visits, increasing home births.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864093
Firefighters battle blaze outside Jerusalem, nearby forests amid scorching heatwave – Jerusalem Post
Firefighting planes have been called in as the Fire and Rescue Authority works to extinguish the blaze.
ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF. AUGUST 12, 2025
The Fire and Rescue Authority contained the flames that were spreading at the Beit Keshet Forest and the Eshtaol Forest on Tuesday, KAN News reported.
After a vehicle caught fire near the Shimshon Interchange by Beit Shemesh, a blaze broke out and began spreading to the nearby forests. The flames then extended to Beit Keshet as well.
Route 44 was closed to traffic as a result, the Israel Police said, adding that officers were working to divert traffic from the area.
Firefighting planes were called in as the Fire and Rescue Authority worked to extinguish the blaze.
Fighting one of the most intense heatwaves in decades
Israel continued to swelter under one of its most intense heat waves in decades as the temperature reached its peak on Tuesday, with exceptionally hot weather expected throughout Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kibbutz Gilgal, in the center of the Jordan Valley, had the record for the highest temperature recorded in the settlement at 47 degrees Celsius and 26% humidity on Tuesday. Jerusalem on the same day reached a peak of 41.3 degrees Celsius.
Due to the Israel Meteorological Service’s forecast and extreme life-threatening heat conditions, a complete ban has been imposed on entering all hiking trails in open areas within the nature reserves and national parks in Israel until Saturday, August 16.
Moshe Cohen contributed to this report.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864008
‘Record-breaking Temperatures’ Has Become a Cliché – and Humanity’s New Routine – Haaretz
The heat index measures apparent temperature using discomfort units – a phrase that doesn’t even begin to describe what it felt like on Tuesday at the Dead Sea. Wednesday is expected to be even worse
iNir Hasson. Aug 13, 2025
One of the challenges in writing about the climate crisis is the numbing repetition of record-breaking heat. The current pace of global warming is such that every year or two, a new high is reached. On Tuesday, for instance, Israel recorded its highest heat index ever. The previous record was set only last year, and this latest one will likely stand only until Wednesday afternoon, when it’s expected to be broken yet again.
The heat index combines temperature and humidity to indicate how hot it actually feels to the human body. On Tuesday, in Kibbutz Gilgal in the Jordan Valley, temperatures reached 47.2°C(116.96°F). With 26 percent humidity, this translated to a heat index of 38.5 “discomfort units,” the metric used to measure heat stress.
Anyone who spent time in Israel’s eastern regions on Tuesday felt the discomfort firsthand. In the Judean Desert, the only site open was the Einot Tzukim (formerly Ein Feshkha) Nature Reserve, a rare oasis where pools of water offer some relief. To reach them, visitors must walk dozens of meters from the parking lot to the shade, but on Tuesday, even that short stretch felt like too much.
The heat was thick, heavy and suffocating, almost physically clinging to the skin. Shirts stuck fast, sweat streamed down faces and the sensation was less like moving through air than wading through plasma.
According to Gashao Selho, a ranger with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority stationed at the site, Sunday was actually worse. “Besides the heat, the air was hazy and full of dust that day.”
The climate crisis in Israel has several defining features: prolonged droughts and reduced rainfall on the one hand, and extreme downpours that trigger flash floods on the other. One such flood, for example, destroyed the access road to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve at the end of the winter. Wildfires, like those on Memorial Day in May, are fueled both by extreme weather and by the drying of vegetation. Rising sea levels and the spread of invasive species, some particularly troublesome such as jellyfish and mosquitoes are also part of the picture.
But the most striking hallmark of the climate crisis here will be heat waves: more frequent, more intense, lasting longer and arriving in seasons that were once unheard of.
The past week’s heat wave was exceptionally intense, with temperatures climbing 8 to 10 degrees above the seasonal average, even though a heat wave is defined as just 5 degrees above average. That “average” is already inflated, based on data from 1980 to 2020 rather than the pre-climate crisis baseline.
This heat wave is also unusually prolonged: while most last three or four days, this one is expected to stretch over an entire week. And it has struck in an atypical season: August is usually hot but stable, whereas heat waves are more common during the transitional seasons.
“Given the overall pace of global warming, it’s not surprising that all-time heat records are broken,” said Prof. Chaim Garfinkel, a climate researcher at the Hebrew University.
“Heat records are breaking much faster than extreme cold conditions because of our activity, so there’s nothing particularly unusual about it. It is, however, a cause for concern, with devastating impacts on us as a society,” he added.
According to Garfinkel, the recent heat wave is being caused by a heat dome that formed over Israel. “There’s an abundance of hot air coming from the east and south throughout the summer. However, the Persian trough usually prevents this hot air from reaching us,” he said.
“Since Friday, the trough has weakened, allowing the hot air to move into our region. When you add the baseline warming of 1.5°C degrees (34.7°F) caused by human activities, it’s clear that we’ve intensified, and continue to significantly worsen, the heat wave.”
“Until about 20 to 30 years ago, heat domes were almost unheard of,” said Dr. Amir Givati, Executive Director of the Israel Meteorological Service. “In recent years, we’ve been seeing more and more of these heat domes, though our situation remains better compared to Jordan and Iraq.”
Heat is the deadliest killer in the climate crisis, claiming far more lives than storms, floods or other extreme weather events that often dominate media coverage. Following heat waves, there is a significant increase in excess mortality, especially among the elderly.
“Extreme heat leads to higher death rates primarily among vulnerable groups: people over 65, infants and children under five, chronic patients with diabetes and hypertension, those living in poverty, outdoor workers and soldiers,” said Prof. Maya Negev of the Health and Climate Resilience Laboratory at the School of Public Health, University of Haifa.
“Our bodies are accustomed to functioning within a certain temperature range, and extreme heat affects all bodily systems, including causing kidney damage, dehydration, heatstroke, constriction and dilation of blood vessels and an increased risk of stroke,” she added.
Severe heat also negatively affects mental health. Studies have shown that high temperatures contribute to increased violence both within and outside the family, as well as rises in homicides, suicides and traffic accidents. One study even found that on hot days, people are more likely to run red lights.
Considering the escalating heat waves amid the ongoing war in Gaza, it is clear that the population at highest risk in our region includes two million Palestinians in the Strip and the 20 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Gaza’s population lives without adequate shelter or air conditioning and with insufficient running water, while suffering from malnutrition, weakened immune systems and a polluted environment. Experts have recently estimated that the rising death toll from starvation in Gaza is also linked to the rapidly increasing temperatures.