Here is some good news from Israel, for a change!
Not only was February a banner month that broke all records for rainfall in Israel, but March is wrapping up to be wetter than normal. Major storms have swept through Israel in succession, making for an almost continuous string of cold, wet and cloudy days. Many have commented that it was more like London or Seattle, not Israel. This week, not only did we have rain,
but even snow in Jerusalem and the hills of Judea and the Galilee, which is unheard of this late in the year.
But, here in Israel, no one is complaining because we need all the rain we can get before the dry summer months are upon us. Many have prayed and God has surely answered these prayers this year.
The level of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) is rising steadily and at such a rapid rate, it can only be called miraculous. As of today, the Sea of Galilee stands at 210.49 meters (690.50 ft.) below sea level, an increase of 3.93 meters (13 ft.) from its low point of 214.42 meters (703.50 ft.) below sea level back in January. (Because the Sea of Galilee is below sea level, a small number means a higher water level.) The high point, last reached in 1992, is 208.90 meters (694.50 ft.) below sea level, which means that we only need 1.59 meters (5.2 ft.) of water to reach this mark before the end of the rainy season. How much water is that? It is 687,750,000 cubic meters, which is almost 900,000,000 cubic yards of water. That’s a lot of water!
Can we hit the high water mark? Well, the rivers and streams entering the Sea are brimming over and pour fresh water into the Sea daily. Added to this is the heavy snow pack on Mt. Hermon that has yet to melt and add its contents to the Sea later this spring. Furthermore, any and all rain that falls reaches the Sea because the ground is so wet, it gladly allows the water to runoff.
By some estimates, we could have already filled the Sea to the brim, but Mekorot, Israel’s water company has been pumping huge quantities of water out of the Sea into the National Water Carrier to put it into reservoirs and underground aquifers for storage elsewhere in Israel.
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Clarence H. Wagner is the International CEO of Bridges for Peace – Jerusalem.