The cloudy sky that covered Batroun on the morning of July 26, 2026. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Although Lebanon is experiencing a hot summer, with temperatures above 30°C along the coast and in other regions, rainfall hit several areas on Sunday morning, mainly in Kesrouan and the northern part of the country.
Our correspondent in north Lebanon, reported light rainfall on Sunday morning across all the northern coastal regions, from Akkar to Tripoli and Minyeh, up to Batroun, accompanied by a noticeable drop in temperatures compared to previous days. According to Meteo Lebanon and several witnesses, it also rained in Kesrouan. "It rained enough to wet the roads," a resident of Zouk Mosbeh told L'Orient-Le Jour.
In North Lebanon, the morning showers caused several road accidents due to slippery roads, including one on the Tripoli-Batroun highway, involving a pickup truck and a passenger car. Two people were injured and rescued by the Lebanese Red Cross, our correspondent reports. A truck slid off the road after skidding, the driver losing control of the vehicle before crashing into the highway's guardrail.
Cool air mass
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the head of division at Meteo Lebanon, Jocelyne Abou Fares, described the rainfall as a localized, relatively rare event but not unprecedented.
"In summer, Lebanon is regularly affected by hot air masses from Egypt that influence the coast, as well as hot air from the Arabian Peninsula, which affects the Bekaa more. A cooler air mass arrived from the southwest, causing atmospheric instability and the formation of clouds. These clouds then became trapped by the mountainous terrain, from Metn up to North Lebanon, which explains why the rainfall was mainly concentrated in Kesrouan. Other regions were also affected, particularly Tripoli, but to a lesser extent," she explained.
The official said that rainfall totals were not yet available but emphasized that the precipitation was particularly heavy. She added that starting Tuesday, the region will be gradually affected by a hot air mass, raising temperatures above seasonal norms, especially in the mountains and interior, through the end of next week.
Fares, however, believes that this type of rain episode could happen again as early as the first weeks of August, as climate change is creating a more unstable atmosphere and more pronounced contrasts between different air masses.
Reporting contributed by our regional correspondent Michel Hallak.
