Carmel Storm Lands in Israel Bringing High Winds, Heavy Rain
The Carmel Storm arrived in Israel on Monday and was expected to pick up steam through Tuesday before tapering off on Wednesday. It is the third named storm this season for the East Mediterranean Storm Naming Group, which was established about a year ago by Greece, Cyprus and Israel. Heavy rain and some hail began falling in Israel’s north on Monday, and the storm has brought more snow to Mt. Hermon, Israel’s only venue for skiing.
The storm uprooted a tree in the central Israeli city of Netanya, which fell on a man, 40, seriously injuring him.
Carmel also has brought warnings of sand storms and flash floods in southern Israel, including the areas of the Judean Desert and Dead Sea. Unseasonably cold weather is forecast for the entire country.
The Cypriot newspaper Kathimerini dubbed the forecast for the storm an “epic fail” in Cyprus, where it hit on Sunday, saying that the storm “failed to deliver” after it made landfall on the island. The state weather service said the island got lucky because the predicted rain, thunderstorms and heavy winds did not come at one time.
