In a sudden return of winter, snow began falling Thursday morning in Jerusalem and the Shomron and Judean mountains, as well as in the Golan heights and the northern Galilee area.
In the Jerusalem-area mountains, 5-10 centimeters of snow accumulated on the ground at altitudes of over 900 meters above sea level. However, in the city itself, where the snow was accompanied by rains, the ground remained clear, despite snow falling almost all day.
Snowfall in Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem (Photo: Dan Diament)
Snow accumulated much more significantly in the northern Galilee and the Golan Heights. In Mount Hermon, whose ski resort ironically closed due to the weather, the drifts increased by 40 to 70 cm, refueling a ski season that was coming to an end.
The southern city of Arad and neighboring towns in the western Negev experienced similar winter weather, but in the form of hail.
Across the south and as far up as Ashdod, the hail "fell like snow" for several minutes, according to several residents. It accumulated on the ground in several towns in the western Negev.