February was significantly warmer and drier than average and featured numerous hazy days. Consequently, despite being one of the principal winter months, it exhibited a spring-like character.

Rainfall amounts in February were significantly below average, amounting to approximately half of the average in the north and less than a third in the central region of the country. In the Jerusalem area, it was one of the driest Februarys since the beginning of records.

Following the paucity of precipitation in February, the deficit in cumulative rainfall since the start of the season has worsened in northern Israel and the central coastal plain, where amounts currently stand at approximately 70% to 80% of the average for the corresponding period. Conversely, in the more southern parts of the country (from the Ashdod-Jerusalem line southward), cumulative rainfall since the beginning of the season exceeds the long-term average for the corresponding period through the end of February, reaching approximately 110% to 150% of the normal, primarily due to the wet months of December and January.

February was exceptionally warmer than average (by approximately three degrees), and in Israel's spatial measurement series dating back to 1950, it ranks as the warmest February on record. In the more distant past, February 1941 may have been similarly warm or warmer. Above-average temperatures were recorded on most days of the month, with Sharav conditions prevailing on some, and only the final days of February were cooler than average. December and January were also relatively warm, resulting in the winter of 2025/26 being significantly warmer than average; historically, it is ranked second, following the winter of 2009/10.

This year, February was characterized by an anomalously high number of hazy days for the month. The haze reached our region after being lifted from the Sahara Desert and was transported to our area under stable atmospheric conditions, leading to its prolonged suspension over us. On several days, visibility was significantly reduced, dropping to a mere few hundred meters.