The Meteorological Service today (Sunday) published a special report summarizing the weather recorded during the year 2021 in Israel. Preliminary findings from it show that the past year has been warmer than average and compared to the past it is the fourth since the beginning of the measurements.
The year 2021 included some unusual weather events, including a prolonged rainstorm at the beginning, a prolonged and unusual heat wave in August and a “Carmel” system that included strong winds and large amounts of rain at the end. However, it was a more moderate year compared to 2020, in which there were more extreme events some of which even claimed human lives.
Temperatures
The year 2021 was warmer than average as it has been most years in the last two decades. It should be noted that all the years since 2007 (except 2011) were warmer than the average measured between 1995 and 2009. The ten warmest years since 1951 were recorded between 2010 and 2021. The past year was ranked fourth in the series of hottest years since measurements began about 200 years ago . For comparison: 2016 was ranked third.
Seven of the months of 2021 were warmer than average, some as noticeable and unusual as January, May and November. Four months were close to the average and only one month, June, was cooler than average for the measurement period from 1995 to 2009.
Precipitation
The months of January and February in 2021 were close to the average amount of rain measured between 1991 and 2020, although the number of rainy days in them, was small. Most of the precipitation this year fell in a limited number of events, similar to December 2020. During the months of March and April the amounts of rain were small, but the whole season ended as close to average. The 2021/22 rainy season began with a small amount of rainfall in October and November, but December was rainier than average in most parts of the country.
Exceptional events during 2021:
Rain stop in January – In the first part of January there was a rainstorm of almost three weeks that began as early as the end of December 2020. The Meteorological Service noted that a complete rainstorm in the main winter months is unusual and has occurred only once in the past, in the winter of 1970/71.
This episode was unusually hot and even had maximum temperatures of 27 to 29 degrees Celsius in the coastal plain and at the beginning there were several consecutive nights and mornings with heavy fog in the Gush Dan area.
Snow in Jerusalem in February – After six years without significant snow, snow fell in the city on February 17, reaching a depth of about 10 cm. Significant snow fell in this event also in the northern mountains (especially in the northern Golan Heights where it piled up to more than half a meter) A thin layer in Beitar and in the Negev.
Average winter with few rainy days – Winter 2020/21 ended as close to average in terms of rainfall, but the number of rainy days was small. During the main winter months, few and focused rainstorms have managed to bring most areas of the country to values close to average. This is despite a winter that was characterized by a small number of rainy days and a large number of sunny days.
Burning with temperatures above 40 degrees in April – Sharv is a common thing in the spring months, but on April 19, Sharv prevailed with temperatures reaching 40 and even up to 42 degrees in the coastal plain, the lowlands, the Negev and the valleys. On the coastal plain the bush equaled the hardest battles of the past in the months of April and in some stations even broke the record for this month.
The month of May is unusually hot May was considerably hotter than average. While there were not many unusual ones, a large portion of the days of the month were warmer than average, which made the month end as one of the warmest months compared to the past. The Meteorological Service noted that over the past 70 years there have been only two to four more cases in which May was a warmer month.
Israelis on the beach in Sharab (Photo: REUTERS / Amir Cohen)Significant rain in July – On July 24, it rained in the northwest of the country with unusual local amounts for this month. The focus was on the Rosh Hanikra ridge with 11 mm in Rosh Hanikra, 15 mm in Matzuva and 29 mm in Hanita. Such quantities in the main summer months are received once a decade.
Prolonged and unusual heat wave in August At the beginning of the month, there was a heavy and long storm with temperatures of about 40 degrees recorded in the Negev and the northern valleys, 43 to 46 degrees recorded in the Jordan Valley and the Arava and 36 to 38 degrees in the coastal plain and the lowlands. According to the Meteorological Service, this is an unusual sequence of days for the summer months and in some parts of the country (the coastal plain, the Shephelah, the northwestern Negev and the Jezreel Valley) it is even unprecedented for this season.
Another unusual feature is the dryness that prevailed in the coastal plain during the bush. The dryness in this area lasts close to a week and is unprecedented for the summer season which is usually characterized by relatively high humidity and especially during heat waves. The dryness moderated the intensity of the heat wave in the valleys and the coastal plain and especially on nights that were cooler than average.
August as a whole was considerably warmer than average and is ranked fourth in the series of measurements. It is preceded by the months of August in 2015, 2010 and 1998.
November is unusually warm – November was considerably hotter than the average and compared to the past it is ranked fourth with the hottest years from it being 1962, 1966 and 2010. During the month there were several hot episodes, starting with 33 to 35 degrees in the coastal plain, in the lowlands and in the Negev, but the most notable of its anomalies was a hot episode at the end of the month that peaked on November 30 with temperatures of 33 degrees in these areas and 29 in Jerusalem. Similar or higher values at the end of November were previously only in 2013.
Carmel system with strong winds and heavy rain in December From the 20th to the 24th of December, large amounts of rain fell, reaching more than 100 mm in the north of the country and on the coastal plain. In parts of Gush Dan, more than 200 mm fell. At several stations in the area, daily amounts of more than 100 mm were measured. At the beginning of the system, strong winds blew that reached more than 50 km / h at some stations with gusts of about 100 km / h and even more.
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