Snow storm shuts down Jerusalem schools
Wintry weather hits Israel, with low temperatures, strong gusts of wind, hail, and rain; snow falls in Jerusalem, Golan, and Galilee as state braces for worst.
A considerable drop in temperatures was felt throughout Israel on Thursday, and snow began to fall over the northern mountains in the afternoon. Due to the stormy weather, several roadways were closed in the country's north.
In the evening, snow is expected to fall over the Carmel Mountain and over mountains in central Israel - including in Jerusalem.
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.
Ahead of the storm, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a situation assessment with Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino 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.
"We are prepared for the storm," Police Commissioner Danino said, stating that the police drew conclusions from last year's storm.
Due to the upcoming storm, the eastern dock and Carmel dock of the Haifa port will be closed until Friday. A decision on whether work will continue on the western dock, which is protected from strong winds, and at the Kishon Port will be made based on weather conditions.
At the height of the storm starting Thursday afternoon, and until Friday before noon, snow might fall at lower altitudes than expected due to low temperatures in high levels of the atmosphere combined with a particularly large amount of precipitation.
Lower areas that might see snowfall include the Hula Valley and the Jezreel Valley in the north, Modi'in and Ariel in central Israel and Arad and Dimona in the south. There is also a small chance of snowflakes being seen in the coastal area as well.
Rain accompanied with thunderstorms and hail will fall in northern and central Israel, and there is a danger of flooding in the Jordan Valley and the Judean Desert. Starting in the evening, the rain will gradually spread to the Negev, with danger of flooding in that area as well.
On Thursday, winds will blow at 40-60 kph, with gusts of wind as strong as 85 kph possible. The sea will be stormy and the waves could reach 6 meters high near the shore and 9 meters high deeper in the sea.
On Friday, rain and low temperatures will continue, with a fear of flooding. Strong winds will continue into the weekend and strong waves are expected at sea.
Heavy snow is forecasted to continue falling in the early hours of Friday morning, with snow mounting at mountain tops higher than 500 meters in the north and in central Israel. Snow will continue to fall in the afternoon in the northern Golan Heights, while snow will begin to melt in lower areas in the afternoon.
The snow is expected to completely stop on Friday night. Reduced winds and rainfall are forecasted for Saturday, and on Sunday the temperatures will heat up.
Heightened alert at hospitals
At the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Dr. Salman Zarqa, the center's director, said that the IDF Home Front Command will make a tractor available to assist in clearing the roads accessing the hospital.
On Thursday afternoon, the hospital will be on high alert in preparation for the storm, with hospital staff already scheduled to work longer shifts. Some of the medical staff will sleep at the medical center over the weekend as part of the heightened protocol.
The Safed municipality made it clear that ensuring access to the roads leading to the medical center will be its first priority. Despite this, the medical center is preparing for the possibility that the roads will be blocked, and arranged access to SUVs to be used to in case of emergency.
Inventory for heating fuel, oxygen, food and medicine were increased ahead of the storm. Furthermore, the medical center's ER was prepped to be ready for patients suffering from frostbite and hypothermia. The hospital also reinforced hot fluid transfusions and heating blankets.
Fire stations in the north will also prepare to be on heightened alert ahead of the storm scheduled to last for the next few days.
Roi Yanovsky and Raanan Ben-Zur contributed to this report.
