Climate
Israel's climate ranges from temperate to tropical, with plenty of
sunshine. Two distinct seasons predominate: a rainy winter period from
November to May; and a dry summer season which extends through the next
six months.
Rainfall is relatively heavy in the north and center of the
country, with much less in the northern Negev and almost negligible
amounts in the southern areas. Regional conditions vary considerably, with
humid summers and mild winters on the coast; dry summers and moderately
cold winters in the hill regions, hot dry summers and pleasant winters in
the Jordan Valley; and year-round semi-desert conditions in the Negev.
Weather extremes range from occasional winter snowfall at higher
elevations to periodic oppressively hot dry winds which send temperatures
soaring, particularly in spring and autumn.
Temperatures (min-max) |
|
Safad |
Haifa |
Tibe-
rias |
Tel-
Aviv |
Jeru-
salem |
Beer-
sheva |
Eilat |
| January |
deg F |
31-48 |
48-59 |
45-64 |
48-63 |
43-52 |
43-61 |
48-70 |
| deg C |
4-9 |
9-15 |
8-18 |
9-17 |
6-11 |
6-16 |
9-21 |
| August |
deg F |
64-84 |
72-82 |
72-97 |
72-84 |
66-82 |
66-91 |
77-104 |
| deg C |
18-29 |
22-28 |
22-36 |
22-29 |
19-28 |
19-33 |
25-39 |
| Rainfall (average) |
|
Safad |
Haifa |
Tibe-
rias |
Tel-
Aviv |
Jeru-
salem |
Beer-
sheva |
Eilat |
| Number of Days |
75 |
66 |
57 |
64 |
57 |
33 |
8 |
Mean
Annual
Rainfall |
inches |
28 |
20 |
17 |
22 |
19 |
8 |
1 |
| mm. |
718 |
508 |
431 |
539 |
486 |
204 |
25 |
Sources: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |