Heaviest rain fell in Arad & Ra’anana, measuring 50 millimeters of rain since Wednesday night leaving hundreds of tourists stranded.
By Zafrir Rinat and The Associated Press
Jerusalem.- Photo by Reuters
According to Meteotech, the largest quantities of rain fell in Arad and Ra’anana, the latter registering 50 millimeters of rain since Wednesday night. There are reports of flooding in the south.
Police in Israel say rescuers are evacuating dozens of American tourists who were stranded overnight in a parking lot in the Negev desert due to rare heavy rains.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that about 70 tourists from the United States were stranded there since Wednesday night when the rain began. He said nobody was injured in the incident and that rescuers began evacuating them with helicopters and jeeps Thursday morning.
Rosenfeld said the tourists were on a field trip near Hulit when heavy rains prevented them from continuing the journey. Some 126 Thai tourists are also reportedly stranded in Tze’elim.
Tel Aviv has seen 16 millimeters of rainfall so far, while there has been 26 millimeters in Be’er Sheva, 32mm in Netanya, 22mm in Acre and 20mm in Kiryat Shmona.
The current weather system is a result of humidity originating in Africa. Heavy rains and thunderstorms are unusual but not unheard of in Israel this time of year.
According to Meteotech, the rain will taper off Thursday afternoon, but there is still the threat of flooding, primarily in the south.
Lightning illuminates the sky in Jerusalem May 7, 2014. -Tomer Katoshevski
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