Weather is one of the topics Israelis search for most on Google, and it will get special attention in the coming months. According to the Israel Meteorological Service, its AI model projected October, November and December to be wetter than average, and the service warned of a high likelihood of flooding in coastal cities and flash floods in the south and east. The backdrop is a strong El Niño, a warming of the Pacific that has been linked in the past to wet winters in Israel.
The service stresses these are scenarios, not a definite forecast, and that not every strong El Niño year brings an unusual winter. One published model links each degree of sea-surface warming to roughly 11% to 15% more annual rainfall, depending on region. According to the service, an unusual event can usually be spotted three to five days ahead. Its director, Dr. Amir Givati, has also said models point to a wetter-than-usual fall.
AI is also changing the forecast on your phone. In September Google launched WeatherNext 3, its new AI weather model, which powers weather information in Google Search, Gemini and Google Maps. It ingests live satellite data, updates every hour and produces forecasts at about five-kilometer resolution. Google says it improves rain forecasts a day or more ahead by up to 50%, a figure not independently verified. Google itself points users to national weather services for official warnings.
Israel is in the game too. Tomorrow.io, founded by Israeli Air Force veterans, raised $175 million in February at a valuation above $1 billion and announced DeepSky, a satellite constellation meant to gather weather data for AI models. What does it mean for you? Short-range forecasts are getting more accurate, but on stormy days follow official notices from the Meteorological Service and the Home Front Command, not just the app.
