Israel - Climate

Although climatic conditions are varied across the country, the climate is generally temperate. The coldest month is January; the hottest, August. In winter, snow occasionally falls in the hills, where January temperatures normally fluctuate between 4° and 10° C (40–50° F ), and August temperatures between 18° and 29° C (65–85° F ). On the coastal plain, sea breezes temper the weather all year round, temperature variations ranging from 8° to 18° C (47–65° F ) in January and 21° to 29° C (70–85° F ) in August. In the south, at Elat, January temperatures range between 10° and 21° C (50–70° F ) and may reach 49° C (120° F ) in August. The rainy season lasts from October until April, with rainfall averaging 118 cm (44 in) annually in the Upper Galilee and only 2 cm (0.8 in) at Elat, although dewfall gives the south another several inches of water every year.