Jerusalem schools open at 10 a.m. on 2nd day of storm

Schools in Jerusalem were set to open at 10 a.m. Thursday amid a much-heralded winter storm that saw the capital receive a mere five centimeters of snow on Wednesday.

In areas surrounding Jerusalem, however, including Mevasseret Zion, Givat Ze’ev, Beitar Ilit, Efrat and Psagot, schools were to remain closed.

The two main roads to and from Jerusalem — Highway 1 and Route 443 — were open in both directions Thursday morning. Public transportation in the city was expected to operate as usual, authorities said.

In the northern part of the country and in much of the West Bank, schools will also remain closed as more snow is expected and driving conditions are poor. Schools in the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee Regional Council, Safed, the Etzion Bloc, Ariel, the Shomron Regional Council and Kiryat Arba were among the areas reported to be shut on Thursday.

Some 10,000 people remained without electricity as of late Wednesday night, as the storm gathered pace with strong winds, rain and hail. The Israel Electric Corporation said the main areas affected were the central Israel areas of Hod Hasharon, Rishon Lezion, Netanya, Rosh Ha’ayin and Ashkelon.

The IEC said its teams were working around the clock to restore power to those affected.

According to weather reports, some 90 centimeters of snow fell on Mount Hermon, 40 centimeters in the northern Golan Heights, and 10 centimeters in Safed and in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The storm began late Tuesday night and picked up on Wednesday as heavy rains and high winds swept the country. Snow were reported in the north from early Wednesday, and spread to elevated peaks in the center of the country by mid-morning.

On Wednesday, a 13-year-old boy was killed in a car accident on an icy road after a bus driver lost control and slammed into a nearby vehicle. Several people were treated for various weather-related injuries, including hypothermia.

Street floodings were reported in cities along Israel’s Mediterranean coast, from the northern city of Acre to towns south of Tel Aviv.