Schools to close early as Jerusalem girds for winter storm
Up to half a meter of snow could slam capital as wintry blast bears down on country; roads in and out of city to close as well
Schools in Jerusalem will close early and roads in and out of the city will be closed off Thursday as the city braces for a blast of wintry weather expected to hit ahead of the weekend.
The snow is projected to begin falling on the capital by late Thursday afternoon, mixed with rain. By evening, several inches of snow may pile up in Jerusalem, the mountains in central Israel and the Carmel region, with a possibility of the northern Negev receiving a dusting as well.
The Meteo-tech weather forecasting service predicted the capital could get slammed with up to 50 centimeters of snow (18 inches), with northern mountains getting even more.
According to forecasters, temperatures are expected to drop overnight Wednesday, with thunderstorms spreading throughout Israel, including the usually arid Negev Desert.
Snow was projected to fall in the northern Golan Heights and Galilee overnight on Thursday, spreading to the Jerusalem hills, and even the coastal city of Haifa during the afternoon.
Schools in the capital were to close at noon and the city’s Hebrew University at 1 p.m., officials said.
Roads in and out of Jerusalem will be closed beginning Thursday afternoon, police said, urging residents to stock up on supplies before the storm hits.
“We call on all residents to demonstrate responsibility and adhere to municipal and emergency officials’ guidelines,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told Israeli news site Ynet.
Long lines were reported in grocery stores across the city as residents rushed to buy all necessities before the storm hits.
“People are worried about the snow,” supermarket chain owner Rami Levy told Ynet, adding that the shopper traffic was double that of a usual weekday.
In anticipation of the inclement weather, Israel’s basketball league chose to postpone the State Cup game between Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv scheduled Thursday, Channel 2 reported.
Last week, forecasters predicted snowfall in higher elevations from the north to Jerusalem, but the storm only brought heavy rains, dust storms and gale force winds to most of Israel.
Golan Heights and Upper Galilee residents received letters last Thursday from the regional councils, urging them to prepare for the latest storm in similar fashion to the prior two earlier in the year.
A security official for the Upper Galilee regional council warned residents of traffic disruptions, power shortages and frozen faucets.
“It is important to ensure sufficient amounts of food and gas, as well as a properly operating generator,” the security official wrote in the letter.
The Golan Heights regional council opened emergency headquarters in wake of the storm, with police, IDF, electric company, fire department and MDA representatives. Council officials warned residents and tourists to avoid driving during the storm.
Schools in the area did not yet announce if and when they will be shut down, though updates are expected to be posted online later in the week.