Mount Meron

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Mount Meron
Har Merón • Jábal al-Jármaq
הַר מֵירוֹן‎ • جبل الجرمق
Northern slope of Mount Meron.jpg
Northern slopes of Mount Meron
Highest point
Elevation1,208 m (3,963 ft)
Coordinates32°59′52″N 35°24′49″E / 32.99778°N 35.41361°E / 32.99778; 35.41361Coordinates: 32°59′52″N 35°24′49″E / 32.99778°N 35.41361°E / 32.99778; 35.41361
Geography
Mount Meron is located in Israel
Mount Meron
Mount Meron

Mount Meron (Hebrew: הַר מֵירוֹן‎, Har Meron; Arabic: جبل الجرمق‎, Jabal al-Jarmaq)[1] is a mountain in the Upper Galilee region of Israel. It has special significance in Jewish religious tradition and parts of it have been declared a nature reserve.

Mount Meron nature reserve[]

In 1965, an 84000-dunam nature reserve was declared. An additional 1199 dunams were declared part of the reserve in 2005.[2] It is the highest reserve in Israel, at an altitude of 1208 meters above sea level, and the largest reserve in the north of the country.[3]

Religious significance[]

Tomb of Shimon bar Yochai

The village of Meron and the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai are on Mount Meron. Leading up to the anniversary of his death on Lag BaOmer, thousands of people camp out along the slopes near the tomb, and on Lag B'Omer itself, hundreds of thousands make pilgrimages to celebrate the occasion.

Hiking paths[]

The mountain has extensive undergrowth and cannot be climbed from every direction. The main path starts at the northwest side of the Meron village. There is a gate next to the road, with a color-marked path of about 10 km. There is also a path on the west side of the mountain.

Climate[]

Snowfall on Mount Meron

Mount Meron has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa) with hot and dry summers and damp and cool winters. It snows briefly on Mount Meron a few times during every winter. There are 22 days a year with a temperature of 32 °C or higher and 28 days below freezing. Mount Meron has the second highest precipitation in Israel after Mount Hermon. Note: the chart is an average of 5 years so the record highs and lows may not be fully accurate.

hideClimate data for Mount Meron (2002–2007)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17
(63) 		22
(72) 		18
(64) 		26
(79) 		32
(90) 		32
(90) 		33
(91) 		36
(97) 		33
(91) 		28
(82) 		26
(79) 		20
(68) 		36
(97)
Average high °C (°F) 8
(46) 		9
(48) 		11
(52) 		18
(64) 		23
(73) 		27
(81) 		29
(84) 		30
(86) 		27
(81) 		26
(79) 		20
(68) 		12
(54) 		20
(68)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6
(43) 		6
(43) 		7
(45) 		13
(55) 		18
(64) 		21
(70) 		23
(73) 		24
(75) 		21
(70) 		20
(68) 		16
(61) 		9
(48) 		15
(59)
Average low °C (°F) 4
(39) 		3
(37) 		4
(39) 		8
(46) 		13
(55) 		15
(59) 		17
(63) 		18
(64) 		16
(61) 		15
(59) 		12
(54) 		6
(43) 		11
(52)
Record low °C (°F) −2
(28) 		−8
(18) 		— 3
(37) 		7
(45) 		11
(52) 		15
(59) 		13
(55) 		13
(55) 		11
(52) 		5
(41) 		— −8
(18)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70
(2.8) 		190
(7.5) 		270
(10.6) 		60
(2.4) 		80
(3.1) 		180
(7.1) 		— — — — 20
(0.8) 		240
(9.4) 		1,150
(45.3)
Average precipitation days 5 10 8 4 5 10 — — — — 1 10 56
Average relative humidity (%) 75 72 68 55 45 45 46 49 52 50 56 72 57
Source: "Climate Information for Har Meron, Israel". Weather Base.

Incidents[]

On May 17, 1911, the collapse of an 8 meter high roof caused 40 wounded and seven fatalities.[4] As the nearby hospital was closed, people from the surrounding area donated bedsheets and equipment to assist the wounded.[5]

At about 12:50 a.m. on April 30, 2021, hundreds of Israelis were trampled as they were leaving the mountain, having attended a Lag BaOmer celebration that drew an estimated 100,000 people in spite of a Covid 2019-related limit to 10,000. At least 45 people died in the disaster, with hundreds injured. [6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica: Mount Meron". Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  2. ^ "List of National Parks and Nature Reserves" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  3. ^ "Mount Meron reserve" (in Hebrew). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  4. ^ http://www.zeevgalili.com/2017/05/21852
  5. ^ https://www.news1.co.il/Archive/0024-D-83241-00.html
  6. ^ "44 crushed to death, over 150 hurt in stampede at mass Lag B'Omer event in Meron". Times of Israel. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
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