אילת מוצפת

Israel’s southern-most town, Eilat, was pummeled by heavy rains Thursday night and Friday morning, leading to flooding across large parts of the city and the closure of major transportation arteries.

After a runway at the Eilat Airport became swamped, flights to and from the airport were redirected to the nearby Ovda Airport.

הצפה בשדה התעופה באילת

Police also announced the closure of a number of roads in and around Eilat due to the flooding, including a stretch of Route 90. Several roads servicing local hotels were also flooded.

The rains dumped more than 1.25 inches (32 millimeters) of rain over night – more than the southern town receives on average in an entire year.

According to the weather forecast Israelis can expect additional local rains from the northern Negev to the Galilee. Temperatures are expected to continue to drop significantly.

Partially cloudy weather is expected for Saturday, with no further change in temperature.