Winter engulfed Israel in earnest this week in the form of heavy rains that extend through the normally arid Negev as far south as Eilat. It has proved a mixed blessing. Firemen were called to pump out flooded apartments in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But water experts believe the heavy downpour will raise the level of Lake Tiberias–Israel’s major sweet water reservoir–which had dropped to a dangerous point in recent months.
In addition to flooding in low-lying areas, hail storms have caused some damage to citrus and vegetable crops but not enough for serious concern. Snow is falling on Mt. Hermon and it is cold on the Golan Heights. Rain was reported in parts of Sinai, as far west as the Suez Canal. Heavy sand storms were also reported in that region.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
