BE FOREWARNED: Barbara Bringing Strong Winds, Flash Floods and More All Week To Shabbat

JEWISH PRESS:  Forecasters warned Israelis on Wednesday night to get their weekend grocery shopping done early, because no one is likely to want to be outside by the time Thursday night rolls around. Temperatures are rising on Thursday – sounds good, right? Nice spring day, warm sun, birds in the sky? 

Not exactly. 

In southern Israel it might even resemble a sharav — desert wind — for a few hours, but by midday that’s going to change. The winds will pick up and so will the haze and by the afternoon gusts could reach between 50 to 100 km/hr.

Towards evening, the rain will move in; Israelis will see heavy thunderstorms, according to the Israel Meteorological Service. Temperatures are going to be unseasonably warm, but by evening it will be “a dark and stormy night.”

If you were planning on a moonlight hike in the Judean desert or in the Negev – forget it. Don’t do it. There’s a high risk flash flood warning out for the southern and eastern wadis – which means no hiking in the Judean desert, the Dead Sea area and the Negev and surrounds. 

By Friday, Israelis will be contending with strong winds, possibly sand storms and a drop in temperatures, with the rain intensifying after midday. 

(This is great for Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), by the way. It might just get that extra little bit of blessing to finish filling the lake to its full capacity before the start of summer.) 

Rain will continue through Friday night and into the day on Shabbat with isolated showers in most regions of the country. The flash flood warning continues in the southern and eastern wadis – so no hiking in the Judean desert, the Dead Sea area and the Negev and surrounds.

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NEWS.AM:  Storm Barbara is raging in Israel, so residents have been warned of possible power outages as strong wind gusts are observed.

According to the Israeli media, special attention is now being paid to the mountainous areas, where weather conditions are expected to be the most difficult. Generators, which will replace the cable power system if necessary, are now on their way. In Haifa, the operation of the cable car is suspended due to the storm.

YNetnews