Intensive preparations were underway on Wednesday as Storm Byron, after battering Greece and Cyprus, hit Israel overnight, threatening flooding and high winds throughout the days to come.
Amid the storm, a search and rescue operation was underway for five people, four of them Israelis, who had set off on a yacht from Ashdod days earlier and dropped out of contact Tuesday night while en route to Cyprus.
In Israel, the rainfall was expected to intensify, peaking Wednesday night and Thursday, and residents of the entire country were warned to prepare for difficult weather conditions.
“Winds will reach speeds of 90 km (56 miles) per hour in some places, with significant rain expected, the likes of which we have not seen,” Sgt. Yossi Deklo, from the Israeli Fire and Rescue Services, told the Kan public broadcaster.
The Israel Meteorological Service issued “orange warnings” against swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, and warned of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and floods throughout the country.
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The IDF Home Front Command was on high alert amid the storm, prepared to assist emergency services with “forming a situational picture and providing a rescue response” if required, the military said.
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Following a fresh assessment Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said that soldiers serving in remote bases in the south would be released for their weekend furlough early. The soldiers were being let off Wednesday, instead of Thursday or Friday, “to ensure their safe return home,” the army said.
Flooding was expected in many areas of the south, where the IDF maintains several large training bases.
Around the country, drainage infrastructure was expected to struggle to cope with the amounts of precipitation in the coming hours and days. Residents have been warned not to use elevators to reach underground parking lots after a tragic incident in 2020.
The rainfall so far has been heaviest in coastal areas. About an inch (25 millimeters) of rain was measured in north Tel Aviv between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday, as the storm first reached the country.
By 10 a.m., that figure had grown to 67 millimeters. Locales in the coastal region south of Haifa received about 100 millimeters in the same timeframe.
Illustrative: People walk in the rain on Jaffa Street in central Jerusalem, November 30, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Herzliya Mayor Yariv Fisher told the Ynet news site: “We’re able to take 24 millimeters (0.9 inches) per hour, not more than that. Israel’s system wasn’t built to take in more water than that.”
“We’re trusting our teams, and telling our residents, not to take unnecessary chances. If you see a flooded road — don’t go there; is there an electric problem? don’t touch it,” he said.
He also urged residents to check the roofs and grates in their houses to ensure there aren’t leaves or other material stuck in them.
The Health Ministry said it warned hospitals and clinics to make preparations for the storm.
The ministry also said that the parents of babies and young children, along with the elderly, should take particular care amid the wintry conditions.
It said the public should try to stay active and warm indoors.
Additionally, people should ensure that elderly people who are living alone are visited at least once a day, and should be on the lookout for cases of hypothermia, the ministry said.
Contact lost with five on yacht near Cyprus, search underway
Meanwhile, there was grave concern on Wednesday for the lives of five people, including four Israelis, who were sailing on a yacht that dropped out of contact, near Cyprus.
Israel, Cyprus, and Greece were actively involved in the search efforts.
The group included two Israeli couples in their 50s, according to Hebrew media. Outlets also reported, citing reports from Cyprus that the yacht had not transmitted a distress signal before losing contact.
“This is a race against the elements — every hour counts,” said a spokesperson for the Cypriot maritime authority, as quoted by the Greek City Times news site.
Also on Wednesday, a plane bound for Israel from was diverted through Lebanese airspace amid stormy weather conditions, the Israel Airports Authority said. The Greek airline flight was under Cypriot air traffic control when the decision to divert was made for the sake of passenger safety.
The IAA said responsibility for the flight was handed over to Israeli air traffic control once the plane had left Lebanese airspace.
According to Channel 12 news, which first reported the unusual incident, the passengers on the Aegean Airlines flight from Larnaca in Cyprus were not aware at the time that they were in Lebanese airspace.
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