Israel experienced a rare midsummer storm on Saturday that brought heavy rain to Jerusalem and the surrounding area, as well as to the Golan Heights, breaking all-time August rainfall records and causing flooding in parts of the Judean Desert.

Ma’ale Adumim received 26 millimeters (1.02 inches) of rain during the day, including 11 millimeters (0.43 inches) in a single hour. It was the most rain ever recorded in the region for the month of August.

It was only the fourth time since measurements began that more than 20 millimeters of rain were recorded anywhere in Israel during the month of August, the Meteorological Service said. Previous instances occurred in the the Golan Heights in 2012, Kfar Blum in 1971 and Zichron Yaakov in 1920, according to Channel 12’s chief weather forecaster Ilanit Adler.

Jerusalem received about 5 millimeters of rain in a downpour that lasted a few hours. The total precipitation recorded in Jerusalem for July-August was the highest in some 170 years, the Meteorological Service said. Smaller amounts were also recorded in the Golan Heights.

Rain began falling in northern Israel around 3 p.m. before reaching........

© The Times of Israel