After sunny spell, Israel girds for wintry weekend

A short break of unseasonably warm weather enjoyed by Israelis this week was set to end Friday evening, giving way to cold, wintry temperatures across the country over the weekend.

Meteorologists said temperatures would drop sharply by Saturday morning, with rainstorms expected in northern and central Israel.

By Sunday, temperatures could drop as low at 7°C in Jerusalem, 14°C in Tel Aviv, 9°C in Haifa, 9°C in Beersheba and a freezing, snowy -4°C at Mt. Hermon, the country’s only ski resort in the north.

The rain is expected to taper off by Tuesday afternoon, and temperatures are expected to rise on Wednesday for the remainder of the week.

Last month, a storm forecast to dump significant snow over much of the country failed to materialize. In Jerusalem, the municipality had prepared with over 200 snow plows, tractors deployed with tons of salt across the city and police ready to shut the major highways leading into the capital.

However, the late January storm saw little to no snow in most areas of Jerusalem, with only a light dusting in the highest-elevation neighborhoods.

That week, a 101-year-old man from a Galilee kibbutz and a homeless man from Bat Yam died of hypothermia as a result of the sudden drop in temperatures during the week.