Tel Aviv: Israelis and tourists found watery refuge from a heatwave on Sunday as temperatures soared to 42 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country.
In Jerusalem, where temperatures peaked at 34 degrees Celsius in midday, children played in a communal splash pad overlooking the Old City walls. Some of the adults who accompanied them did not resist the cold temptation and sat down on the wet floor while the children played near by.
In Tel Aviv, some chose to sunbath under the scorching sun while others played in the water or just floated in the relatively calm sea. "These days are boiling, boiling," Shlomo Harel, a 62-year-old retired economist told Reuters, adding that in his home town Jerusalem people were not used to turning on their air conditioners but found themselves with 'no choice,' this summer.
Tel Aviv's temperatures also peaked at 34 degrees Celsius at around noon on Sunday.
According to Israel's Meteorological Service (IMS), the highest temperatures were measured along the Jordan valley with 42 degrees in the Dead Sea in the south and 42 degrees in Beit Shean and Tiberias in the north.
Temperatures are expected to gradually drop starting Monday but the heatwave will last for a few more days, IMS said on its website.
