An all-out storm hit Israel Thursday with light snow falling in the mountainous northern regions, unusually drop in temperatures across the country, strong winds and very high waves across the coastline.
The storm will begin with snow mixed with rain, and snow will start piling up in the evening in areas in northern Israel that are higher than 200-300 meters above sea level. In central Israel, areas 300-400 meters above sea level will be hit by snow and in the Negev snow will hit areas 300 meters above sea level.
The Jerusalem Municipality announced that schools will be shut down on Friday due to the wintry weather.
The Israel Meteorological Service (IMS) predicted strong winds, the risk of flash floods, and extreme cold throughout the stormy days.
This weekend’s inclement weather is the result of a typical winter storm system. This is formed when an upper air trough with cold air from Russia combines with a surface depression developing over the eastern Mediterranean, IMS climate department head Dr. Amos Porat told The Jerusalem Post.
“However, this system is unusual, with its very cold air in all atmospheric layers, enabling significant snowfall in the mountains and some snowfall in areas at a lower altitude (500 m. and even lower), which is not typical for Israel,” Porat said.
Ahead of the storm, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a situation assessment with the head of the Police and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch. "The goal is to save lives and prevent deaths," Netanyahu said, adding that that rescue services were prepared to deal with the storm.