Does it snow in Israel?

Recognized by many as one of the cradles of humanity due to the importance and historical relevance of the region over which it extends, Israel, one of the leading countries of the Levant Mediterranean, currently stands as the capital of the Abrahamic religions worldwide.

Beyond its inevitable characterization as a sacred city and capital of three of the most transcendental religions of the current common era, Jerusalem is also one of the cities with the highest tourist influx in the world.

Nevertheless, we assure you that Israel is much more than Jerusalem! You can enjoy various tourist attractions such as Masada, the ancient fortress of the Jewish Resistance; the Israel Museum, which houses one of the most important archaeological collections in the world; the Maritime Caesarean section; the Bahai Gardens; the Basilica of the Annunciation; and much more.

Snow in Israel? ❄

In a strict sense, in other words, from a positivist and international legal perspective, Israel, throughout its more than 8,000 square miles of territory, receives only a slight amount of snow in Jerusalem per year.

Like most Levant Mediterranean countries, Israel exhibits climatological characteristics typical of arid and desert regions in almost all of its territory.

Despite this, it is possible to see snowfall in Jerusalem and other mountains located in the occupied territories in the North of Israel during the winter.

In conclusion, it does snow in Israel! Although, more due to the geological characteristics of specific regions of the country (Jerusalem and Golan Heights) than its general geological characteristics.

However, there is a chance that Israel will be hit by an occasional winter storm, which could cause unexpected snowfall in regions where it would not typically occur.

The climate of Israel ⛅

ISRAEL WEATHER

General characteristics

According to the Köppen climate classification, counting types and subtypes, Israel exhibits up to 7 climate types throughout its territory, from Hot Desert (BWh) to Warm-summer Mediterranean continental (Dsb).

Due to such diversity, any general explication of the characteristics of Israel’s climate is useless since these aspects will depend exclusively on the prevailing climatological factors in each of the Israel regions.

Technical characteristics

Some of the following technical characteristics have been calculated by averaging climatological data for Israel’s six largest cities (Jerusalem, Nazareth, Haifa, Rishon LeZion, Tel Aviv, and Ashdod) in each region:

• Climate types (Köppen climate classification):
  • Hot Desert (BWh).
  • Cold Desert (BWk).
  • Hot semi-arid (BSh).
  • Cold semi-arid (BSk).
  • Hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa).
  • Warm-summer Mediterranean (Csb).
  • Warm-summer Mediterranean Continental (Dsb).
• Average maximum temperatures in summer: 84.71°F (29.2 °C).
• Average maximum temperatures in winter: 63.29 °F (17.3 °C).
• Average minimum temperature in summer: 70.46 °F (21.3 °C).
• Average minimum temperatures in winter: 49.38 °F (9.6 °C).
• Average rainfall per summer: 0.013 inches (0.03 cm).
• Average rainfall per winter: 2.075 inches (5.08 cm).
• Hottest regions: Southern District.
• Coldest regions: Jerusalem District and Golan Heights (occupied territory).
• Snowiest month: February.
• Coldest month: January.

When does it snow in Israel? 🌨

Does it snow in Israel in January?

Yes, it might snow in January. Due to the climatological characteristics of Israel, especially those of their higher regions (Jerusalem and the Golan Heights), it is possible to see snowfall in Israel during this month.

Does it snow in Israel in February?

Yes, it might snow in February. Generally, without the intervention of a winter storm, February is the snowiest month in Israel. Jerusalem, for example, receives, on average, 0.3 inches of snow during February.

Does it snow in Israel in March?

Yes, it might snow in March. Despite being the last month of the winter season, there are still chances of seeing minor snowfall or sleet in Jerusalem or the higher mountains of the Golan Heights.

Where does it snow in Israel? 🌨

Below, we present a map of the territorial division of Israel in which the distribution of snowfall in the six administrative districts (and other unrecognized territories) that make up the country is roughly exemplified:

1. In this case, the darker the blue color, the higher the average snow accumulation for the county in its snowiest month (December).
2. This map is not an exact definition but rather an approximation of the behavior of snowfall in Israel since only the twenty most prominent cities are taken into account and not all the cities and towns that make up the six administrative districts (and other unrecognized territories) at the time of its creation.
3. The yellow-colored region, Golan Heights, is not recognized internationally as Israeli territory (only by the United States). However, due to snowfall being possible in the higher regions of the Golan Heights, we have decided to include it on the map.

How much does it snow in Israel? 🌨

Next, we expose a comparison chart of the average snow accumulation throughout a sliding 31-day period (centered on the day in question) in the twenty most prominent cities in Israel:

The numbers shown in the table above represent inches.