Heavy rains began on Tuesday morning in the north of the
country and were expected to spread all over by the late
afternoon. A total accumulation of 100 millimeters (about
four inches) was expected within about two days.
That volume of rain in such a short time could easily cause
flooding in low lying areas. A lot depends on the
distribution of the rainfall: if it comes down in a
concentrated torrent, it is more likely to overwhelm the
storm sewer system. If the rain falls in showers separated by
breaks, the measures taken in recent years to prevent
flooding should be effective.
Netivei Ayalon said that it has taken many steps to avoid or
ease flooding, but it could not rule out the necessity to
close the road for hopefully short periods during the
storm.
The weather system is arriving from the Cyprus area where it
was caused by an interaction between cold air and the still-
warm Mediterranean Sea. At this time of year such
interactions often bring rain to Israel.
