Is lightning near Tel Aviv right now?

Thunderstorm season near Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv sits in Israel, where lightning is most frequent October–April. Israel's lightning belongs to the rainy season. From October to April, cold air moving over a still-warm eastern Mediterranean fires thunderstorms along the coastal plain, from Haifa and Netanya to Tel Aviv and Ashdod, with the most strikes offshore and on the coast early in the season. Jerusalem and the hills see storms later in winter, and the Negev and Eilat get rare but intense storms with flash floods. These storms can move in fast from the sea, so the live distance to the nearest strike and whether it is approaching matter more than any monthly average.

Where Tel Aviv sits

Tel Aviv sits at about 11 m on the coast, where sea-breeze convergence can trigger storms that build fast on summer afternoons — a live nearest-strike distance beats waiting for the rain.

Elevation

11 m

Distance to coast

On the coast

Terrain

Coastal

Source: Elevation: open-meteo.com · Coastline: Natural Earth.

Lightning safety in Tel Aviv

When thunderstorms build over Tel Aviv, the distance to the nearest strike matters more than a city-wide count. Use the 30-30 rule: if thunder follows lightning by 30 seconds or less, get indoors, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before heading back out. StrikeCast surfaces the live distance and trend so you can act before the storm reaches you.

Frequently asked

Nearby lightning maps

• Petah Tikva, IL
• Rishon LeZion, IL
• Jerusalem, IL
• Netanya, IL
• All of Israel →