The Kinneret rose by 4.5 cm on Friday morning, reaching just 63.5 cm from the upper red line which marks a full lake, as stormy winter weather continued to affect much of Israel.
The rise in water levels comes after a heavy winter storm impacted much of the country over the past two days, with 12 cm of snow in Jerusalem, and residents of El Rum in the Golan Heights receiving 55 cm of snow on Wednesday night. As of Thursday, over 100 mm of rain had fallen since Tuesday evening in some areas in northern and central Israel, with further rain expected into the weekend, according to the Israel Meteorological Service.
The Water Authority is preparing for the possibility that it may need to fully open the Deganya Dam for the first time in 25 years as the Kinneret remains high after two years of especially rainy winters.
If the rainfall this winter exceeds 90% of the perennial average, then the dam will need to be opened. The opening of the dam will likely take place around April 2021 if the water level rises high enough.
