Heavy rainfall including thunderstorms and even hail hit Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria at around 3:00 pm on Saturday. Oddly enough, the storms weren’t picked up on any weather radars taking meteorologists by surprise.

The rains came earlier than expected this year. Usually, the first rains of the season arrive after Sukkot (the feast of Tabernacles) which is why Jews alter the prayer following the holiday to “return the winds and bring down the rain”. After Passover, the prayer goes back to a more realistic request during the dry season to “bring down the dew”. This is the reason why rainfall in Israel’s desert climate is considered to be a blessing.

The thundershowers also hit Israel’s central region including Tel Aviv and Hertzliya with varying degrees of duration. The storm even made it’s way down to the southern tip of Eilat early Sunday morning.

Following the storm, rainbows were seen in the sky after the rain subsided just as Ezekiel described when speaking of God’s radiance:

Like the appearance of the bow which shines in the clouds on a day of rain, such was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. That was the appearance of the semblance of the Presence of Hashem (Ezekiel 1:28)

However, the surprise Shabbat rain will not continue. That’s because it will get warmer, with a peak on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

Below is footage of the rainfall in Jerusalem