Israel saw its first snowfall of the winter season on Wednesday as cold fronts rainfall and strong gusts swept through the country.
The storm system, which comes after a period of unseasonably warm and dry weather, has hit the north of Israel in the early morning hours and was making its way south, with low temperatures, heavy showers and strong gusts expected to last until Saturday.
First snow of the winter hits Mount Hermon
(Photo: Mount Hermon Ski Resort)
In the late hours of the morning, snow began falling on Mount Hermon, Israel's highest peak in the north, with the temperatures in the area dropping to 0 degrees celsius.
In addition, the Israeli Air Force canceled its ceremonial airshow for safety reasons due to rain and high winds, while the Haifa port closed down for marine traffic siting rough seas.
In Jerusalem, an eight-year-old girl was mildly injured when a plastic sign blew away from its post in the 50 kph (31 mph) winds and hit her on the head.
In the northern city of Nahariya, some 36 cm. of rain came down in the space of three hours. Roads were flooded along the city's shoreline as residents needed to be rescued from their cars.
Police forces are said to be on high alert, calling for people to prepare for road closures due to flooding and urged the residents to stay away from low lying areas.
"This is the first expansive winter storm of the year," said meteorologist Tzahi Waxman from Meteo-Tech meteorological company, who warned the storm has its dangers. "We will see a lot of rain" he added.
We expect three straight days of winds and rain, flooding expected in some cities." Waxman told Ynet.
The rain was preceded by a dust storm causing high levels of pollution that was to be washed away by the precipitation.
The wind is expected to accelerate and may reach gusts of 100 kph (62 mph) causing concern over damage to electric lines and harm to people.
Hydrological Services official, Yoni Yitzhak, said the Western Galilee area is expected to see large quantities of rain over the next few days that will cause a heavy in the local streams.
The Sea of Galilee will also see the much-needed boost of rainfall.
In the northern city of Haifa, the temperatures will range from 16 degrees celsius during the day Sunday to just 12 degrees at night. In Tel Aviv, the weather will be similar with a range of 17 degrees during the day and 14 degrees at night. In the southern city of Be’er Sheva, temperatures will range from 17 degrees throughout the day to 12 degrees at night. In Jerusalem, the temperatures will be cooler, reaching 13 degrees celsius during the day and falling to 8 degrees overnight. In the southernmost city of Eilat the weather will remain relatively warm with 23 degrees during the day and 13 at night.