מלכים א, פרק י״ח, פסוק מ״ה

The long and severe drought comes to a dramatic close with the sudden arrival of a heavy downpour. Within a brief span of time, the weather shifts rapidly, prompting the king to embark on a hurried journey back to his palace.

The primary approach among commentators is that only a short moment passed while the messenger went on his way and Ahab hitched his horses to his chariot, descending from where he had been eating. In that brief interim, the sky grew completely dark [מצודת ציון]. A thick gathering of clouds caused this sudden darkness, accompanied by blowing winds that served as an early sign of the approaching rain [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. This powerful shift in the weather marks the definitive end of the drought [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

There are different perspectives regarding the exact timing of the king's departure in relation to the storm. One approach suggests that Ahab began his ride even though the heavy rain had already started to fall [מצודת דוד]. Another perspective maintains that the intense rain only began while he was already on the road, catching him before he could reach his destination [רלב״ג]. He directed his chariot toward Jezreel, a city smaller than Samaria that functioned as the winter residence for the kings of Israel [ביאור שטיינזלץ].