Extreme weather strikes throughout Israel amid springtime heatwave

Israel's extreme weather - strong winds and heavy rain - took down a tree in Tel Aviv and a bucket truck in Herzliya on Thursday.

In Tel Aviv, the tree fell on a passerby who was lightly injured, according to a Maariv report. The man was pinned under the branches and was rescued by nearby citizens. Magen David Adom medics arrived shortly thereafter to administer first aid. 

In Herzliya, two bucket trucks collided on Thursday due to the strong winds, according to Walla. There were no injuries, but there was significant damage to the equipment. "There were dozens of workers at the construction site [at the time]," Herzliya's chief municipal engineer told Walla. "Miraculously, no workers were injured."

The winds also blew massive sandstorms into the southern Israeli city of Eilat. The weather was so severe that landings and takeoffs from Eilat's Ramon Airport were suspended on Thursday, according to KAN. For a brief period of time, the sandstorm in Eilat brought general visibility in the area down to only 150 meters. Per KAN's report, the dusty, hot windy weather in Eilat will be even worse on Friday, although the heat is expected to break slightly on Saturday.

Israel's current heat wave is expected to reach its peak on Friday, with most of the country experiencing extremely high temperatures. 

Southern Israel will be particularly affected by the heat, along with strong winds and scattered rain. 

It is expected to cool down on Saturday, but there may be a haze caused by sand kicked up by the wind.

Staying safe in the summer heat  

Wind and sandstorms are not the only weather patterns that threaten Israelis' safety in the summer. Unfortunately, children are put in danger each year as they are left in hot cars without supervision. 

Two children were forgotten in cars since Wednesday night in Jerusalem, according to the Israel Police Spokesperson's Unit.

In one case, a four-year-old boy was left in his father's car for half an hour on Thursday morning. He was rescued from the car and needed medical attention but was in relatively good condition. 

The child was taken to undergo medical tests and the father was taken in for questioning.

In the second case, a seven-year-old girl was left in the car all night after her family returned home at midnight and her parents forgot about her. 

The police were called in the morning and arrived on the scene to find a passerby trying to explain to her how to unlock the door. 

The girl was eventually rescued from inside the car and returned home while her mother was taken in for questioning.