Tornado and waterspouts in Israel: January 7, 2009

[David Shohami]

On January 7th 2009, a surprising single thunderstorm (possibly supercell) developed in north-western Israel and several funnels developed under the storm base. I can't say for 100% this was a supercell tornado since I did not witness the funnels myself, but reports say the thunderstorm was intense, with heavy hail and strong cloud-to-ground lightning. Waterspouts are not uncommon in Israel but usually form under towering cumulus clouds or weak thunderstorms. I think some (or one) of the funnels were true tornadoes (see the first few photos) and some were waterspouts.

Just a reminder: A tornado was recently (October 2008) documented in Israel, and another one in April 2006 (see links in post above). This is (supposedly??) very rare in our region.

And now...:

And more spectacular shots here:
http://d-spot.co.il/forum/index.php?&showtopic=181184

 

[Simon Timm]

This very impressive indeed. Rare yes, impossible, certainly not. Tornadoes are quite rare in the middle east, though they do occur(I remember one touching down near Israel in 2000). Considering Israel borders the Mediterranean, it is certainly boosts the chances of waterspouts. Please forgive me if I am stating the obvious.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

I'm 90% certain that those are tornadoes. Not only are there wall clouds, but they have a shape that is more common with tornadoes than waterspouts. Also, the RFD notch is well defined, especially in the first picture.

Also, it's really cool to see, what I think, is two tornadoes at the same time. The second one, in the background, doesn't have a full condensation funnel, but you can see the spin up behind the first tornado.

Excellent pictures. They really make me want to go chasing in Israel.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Ehi,nice tubes David!!Mesocyclonic at 90%