Jerusalem weather: what to wear
What to wear in Jerusalem today
Cloudy, 15°C by day and 13°C in the evening, 2 mm of rain. A rain jacket or an umbrella, and shoes that keep the water out.
Tomorrow and the next few days
- Tomorrow · 16°/13°C A rain jacket or an umbrella, and shoes that keep the water out
- Monday 9 Nov · 16°/11°C A sweater or jacket by day, a warm jacket for the evening
- Tuesday 10 Nov · 17°/11°C A sweater or jacket by day, a warm jacket for the evening
- Wednesday 11 Nov · 16°/13°C A sweater or jacket by day, a warm jacket for the evening
From the Israel Meteorological Service forecast for Jerusalem, updated hourly. The evening figure is the 9 pm forecast.
Your phone already has the forecast. This page explains what the numbers do not: why Jerusalem is cold in the evening even in August, what to pack for each season, and what to do when it rains. The short version: the city sits about 800 metres up, and that changes everything.
Summer · June to September
Hot by day, dry, and surprisingly cool at night.
Midday is hot but dry, nothing like the humidity of Tel Aviv, and the shade is bearable. What catches visitors out is the evening: Jerusalem sits about 800 metres up, and once the sun goes down the temperature drops fast. Whoever left the hotel in a tank top at two is cold by nine.
Day: a hat and a water bottle. Evening: a long-sleeved top or a hoodie in the bag.
Autumn · October to November
The best season in the city.
Pleasant days and cool evenings. The first rain usually arrives some time in the autumn, and the date changes every year.
Layers, and a light jacket you can take off.
Winter · December to February
Properly cold, and most visitors pack for the wrong country.
This is mountain winter, not Mediterranean coast: rain, wind between the stone buildings and nights that can drop close to freezing. Many older buildings are built for summer, so indoors can feel colder than you expect. December is also the Christmas season, when the Old City is at its busiest.
A real coat, not a sweatshirt, and waterproof shoes. Wet Jerusalem stone is slippery.
Snow · once every few years
Rare, and it stops the city when it comes.
Snow that settles falls every few years, almost always in January or February, and usually melts within a day or two. When it does, buses can stop running and the road to Tel Aviv can close for hours.
If snow is forecast, stock up on food the day before.
Spring · March to May
Green, short, and with the odd heatwave.
The city is at its greenest. A hot desert wind (the sharav, or hamsin) can push the temperature up sharply for a day or two, and then it is cool again.
Layers again. In a heatwave, loose light clothes.
Raining? Where to go
Most of Jerusalem's best sights are indoors or underground, and a wet day is a day without queues.
Frequently asked questions
What should I wear in Jerusalem?
In summer, light clothes for the day and a layer for the evening, always. In winter, a real coat and waterproof shoes. In every season, if your day includes the Old City or a holy site, cover shoulders and knees: at some sites it is a condition of entry, not a weather tip.
Why is Jerusalem cold at night?
Altitude and dry air. Jerusalem sits about 800 metres above sea level, and dry air does not hold the day's heat, so the temperature falls quickly after sunset. Visitors coming up from Tel Aviv usually dress for the morning and regret it after dark.
Does it snow in Jerusalem?
Yes, but not every year. Snow that settles falls every few years, usually in January or February, and rarely lasts more than a day or two. The biggest storm in recent memory was in December 2013.
What is the dress code at Jerusalem's holy sites?
Cover shoulders and knees at the Western Wall, churches such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Temple Mount. Scarves or wraps are sometimes offered at the entrance, but bring your own.
What is there to do in Jerusalem when it rains?
Much of what is worth seeing is indoors anyway: the Israel Museum, the Tower of David, Yad Vashem, the Bloomfield Science Museum, the Western Wall Tunnels and the covered alleys of Machane Yehuda market. Rain also empties the queues.
For the full forecast, see the Israel Meteorological Service. Only the box at the top changes; the rest explains what stays the same from year to year.
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