Snow, rain pour in to Israel at start of stormy weekend

Jerusalem takes steps ahead of expected freeze; police issue flash flood warning; power lines downed in Haifa

Snow mixed with rain began to fall in mountainous parts of Israel early Friday in the first serious snowfall of the winter, ahead of a weekend meteorologists said would be characterized by unusually cold, stormy weather.

Some 60 centimeters of snow fell on the upper reaches of Mount Hermon overnight, and about half that on the lower levels. The large amount of snow forced the closure of the site, which is the country’s only ski resort.

Light snow began to fall in the morning in the Bethlehem and Gush Etzion areas of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem, as well as in the mountainous Galilee city of Safed and in parts of the Golan Heights, including the Druze village of Majdal Shams.

The Jerusalem Municipality announced it was preparing for overnight snow Friday, and taking measures to deal with a possible drop in temperatures.

Some 60 millimeters of rain fell on the Upper Galilee and Golan through the night, leading to swollen rivers and creeks in the area and a three-centimeter rise in the level of the Sea of Galilee. Two major rivers — the Jordan, along Israel’s eastern border; and the Yarkon, that runs through Tel Aviv — have risen dramatically, according to eyewitnesses.

The rainfall, which is expected to last intermittently until as late as Monday, has led to fears of flash floods in desert wadis, or riverbeds. Police warned aspiring flood-chasers and hikers to steer clear of the floods, whose powerful undercurrents can carry away vehicles from roads that cross their path.

Snow is expected in more areas throughout the country, leading to school closures in some mountainous areas, including Safed and Sasa, a village on the Lebanese border.

An Israeli flag is seen through a snow storm on Mount Hermon in the northern Golan Heights, December 31, 2015. (Basel Awidat/Flash90) — An Israeli flag is seen through a snowstorm on Mount Hermon in the northern Golan Heights, December 31, 2015. (Basel Awidat/Flash90)

The snow, winds and rain led to downed power lines in parts of the country, with hours-long power outages reported in the Carmel Hatzarfati neighborhood of Haifa and in the Bethlehem-area West Bank settlements of Tekoa, Nokdim and Kfar Eldad.

Haifa’s Haganah Boulevard was closed to traffic Friday morning after a power cable reportedly fell into the street.