Extreme heat across the country – 3 Israelis rushed to hospitals for heatstroke
High temperatures in Tel Aviv break 85-year-old record for April
Over the past two days, Israel has been in the grip of a record-breaking heatwave. Temperatures in the coastal city of Tel Aviv broke an 85-year-old record for April, the Israel Meteorological Services (IMS) announced on Thursday.
Shortly after midday, the temperature climbed to 40.7°C (105.3°F), breaking the previous record of 40.4°C (104.7°F) measured in 1939, before the state was even founded.
Several other towns also saw their records broken, including Kibbutz Kvutzat Yavne, east of Ashdod, with a temperature of 42.2 degrees, and the village of Nitzan just north of Ashkelon, which measured over 43°C (109.4°F).
The severe weather led to several Israelis being hospitalized for heatstroke. On Wednesday, an elderly woman was rushed to the hospital after she was found unconscious in a public park.
Thursday saw three people evacuated to hospitals across the nation after suffering from heatstroke.
Over 20,000 people flocked to the Sea of Galilee on Wednesday to escape the oppressive heat in its still-cool waters, causing several parking lots around the lake to close due to congestion, the local municipality reported.
According to the Nature and Parks Authority, about 100,000 Israelis visited Israel's national parks on Wednesday, many seeking to take a plunge in the cool springs and relax under shadowy canopies.
Among the top marks visited during the heatwave was Gan Hashlosha in the northern part of the Jordan Valley, with its large water pools; Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, which includes the Yarkon Stream; and Einot Tsukim, the lowest nature reserve in the world next to the Dead Sea.
This type of unusually dry and hot weather is called Sharav in Hebrew, which is defined by a minimum temperature above 27 degrees and 5 degrees higher than the average, with a relative humidity lower than 30% in the coastal plain and 20% in the inland areas.
This phenomenon, which typically occurs in spring, is caused by an eastern wind that brings hot, dry, and extremely dusty air to the region.
According to meteorologists, temperatures across Israel are expected to drop significantly beginning Thursday afternoon and Friday, but they will remain higher than usual for the season.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
