Temporal and spatial trends of temperature patterns in Israel

Daily maximum and minimum temperatures from 40 stations in Israel were analyzed to detect long-term trends and changes in temporal and spatial distribution patterns during the second half of the 20th Century. The trend analysis, reveals a rather complex changing pattern, with a significant decreasing trend of both the daily maximum and minimum temperature, during the cool season, and an increasing trend during the warm season. The seasonal temperature range exhibits an increasing trend: the summers have become warmer while the winters have become colder. The increase of the minimum summer temperature is more pronounced than the increase of the maximum temperature, while the decrease of the maximum temperature in winter is greater than the decrease of the minimum, thus resulting in a significant decline of the air temperature diurnal range in both seasons. It appears that the frequency of occurrence of extreme temperature events, with lower winter and higher summer temperatures, has increased. On an annual basis, there seems to be almost no temporal trends in minimum and maximum temperatures since the changes in winter and summer show an opposite tendencey.