Israel Doused with First Seasonal Rain

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Two days after the fall holiday season ended, Israelis across the country woke up to the first rainy day of the season. For many, it’s an answer to prayer for rain, which observant Jews add to their daily prayers at the start of Sukkot, raising hopes for abundant winter rains after nearly 6 rain-free months.

School kids could be heard proclaiming “geshem” (rain) as they walked outside Wednesday morning to noticeably cooler temperatures. The welcome rain saw lots of smiles peeking out from under umbrellas. 

The usual flooding in parts of the Negev and power outages in central Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rehovot, accompanied the country’s first real downpour on central and southern Israel, as well as the northern port city of Haifa, the Golan Heights and the Galilee.

Fall is finally here and it’s time to get out those winter clothes and look forward to cooler temperatures and maybe even another blanketing of snow sometime this winter.

It’s been an especially hot summer, with at least three prolonged heat waves in Jerusalem and other parts of the country. Temperatures hovered between the mid-90s and 100s for weeks at a time. There was also the 3-day sandstorm last month that cast its eerie yellow haze over many parts of the country.

The forecast calls for more rain, with warmer temperatures early next week. Still, the overcast skies and moist air greeting the country Wednesday morning was welcomed by young and old alike, not to mention the land itself.

If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the trees celebrating. 

“For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” (Is. 55:12)