Government meteorologists said Friday morning that the first rains of the season will arrive, but they have no idea when. October and early November usually are dry periods, but the first rains usually fall during the period, unlike this year when Israelis in most sections of the country have seen only a few scattered drops.

Friday will be warm followed by a drop in temperatures on the Sabbath to 23 (73 Fahrenheit) in Jerusalem, 26 (79 F) in Tel Aviv and 27 (81 F) in Be'er Sheva. It will warm up again on Sunday and Monday before a cooling system moves in on Wednesday, dropping nighttime temperatures to 13 (55 F) in Jerusalem and 18 (64 F) in Tel Aviv. The long-term forecast indicates that rain may arrive by next Friday, but it is too far away to predict with any accuracy.