The heavy rains of the past week have had their desired effect, as evidenced by the Kinneret water level. For the first time in over a year and a half, the water in Israel’s largest reservoir has climbed above the red danger line of 213 meters below sea level.

Fourteen centimeters of water height – approximately 20 million cubic meters of water – have been added to the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) in the past five days. The level now stands at 212.98 meters below sea level, and continues to climb because of the water streaming into it from the mountains to the north.

The Kinneret can hold 13.8 more feet (4.18 meters) of water height before its dams must be opened to prevent flooding in Tiberias and Kibbutz Ein Gev.  However, water experts would be satisfied if a mere 1.5 meters of water height would be added before the current rainy season ends – an unlikely goal, in the natural course of events. The Kinneret drops 1.5 meters, according to very rough estimates, every summer.