Snow in the north and Gush Etzion; Jerusalem let down as snow doesn't stick
Jerusalem residents disappointed as they wake up to find out the snow did not stick; snow falling in the Galilee; all-time record set for winter electricity consumption with 12,200 megawatts used by Israelis
Jerusalem's residents were waiting to wake up to a white morning, but were disappointed Tuesday morning as the expected snow did not pile up.
Light snow fell Tuesday morning in Jerusalem but did not stick. Authorities announced that schools would be open as usual. Light snow also fell in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem.
In the Galilee light snow is falling in Sasa, Hurfeish and Safed, and some schools were closed in those areas. educational institutions there will be no classes.
Jerusalem was battered by the latest winter storm, holding the precipitation record for Monday with 47 mm of rain falling in the capital, accompanied by some snow.
On Monday, Kiryat Gat saw 36 mm of rain, while in Sderot 33 mm of rain fell. Be'er Sheva got 19 mm of rain, 14 in Gedera, 12 in the northern Golan Heights, 10 in Safed, eight in Haifa and Arad, and only seven in Tel Aviv.
The low temperatures led many Israelis to turn up the heating, and at 6:45pm on Monday, a new all-time record of electricity use in the winter was set at 12,200 megawatts. This is a 2.3 percent increase compared to the previous winter record set at 11,934 megawatts in January 2015. The general all-time record of electricity consumption was set in the summer of 2015, with 12,905 megawatts used.
A six-days-old baby girl was brought to a medical facility in Ariel Monday suffering from hypothermia. After receiving initial treatment, she was taken to the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva in serious condition.
Over on Mount Hermon, half a meter of snow fell since the beginning of the storm, and the snow is expected to continue falling.
The small quantities of precipitation in the north meant the Kinneret's (Sea of Galilee) level only rose by two centimeters in this weather system. The Kinneret's level is current at -212.83, and 4.03 meters are still needed to reach the water reservoir's higher red line.
The cold rainy weather will continue throughout the day, expected to be the last day in the current cold spell. Meteo-Tech reported that rain fell mainly in central and southern Israel. In the mountains of the north and in the Carmel light snow might fall.
In mountains over 700 meters high in the center of the country snow is expected to pile up, including in Jerusalem. Roads may be blocked. Light snow may also fall in the Negev Highlands.
Ahiya Raved, Roi Yanovsky, Gilad Morag, and Noam (Dabul) Dvir contributed to this report.
