Winter storm to bring strong winds and a chance of snow to Israel over the weekend
Forecast shows snowfall on the horizon for Mount Hermon, while Jerusalem hills, central Israel could experience light dusting early next week
Temperatures dropped across Israel on Thursday as the country braced for storm that was expected to bring with it heavy wind, rain, and even snow.
Temperatures dropped to an unseasonable low on Thursday morning, as storm “Coral” closed in, and were expected to continue to fall throughout the day.
Sporadic rainstorms broke out from the south of the country to the north, bringing with them a slight chance of flash flooding in the Dead Sea area and the Judean Desert.
In light of the stormy weather, the Israel Meteorological Service put a “yellow warning” in place on Thursday afternoon alerting Israelis of winds reaching up to 70 km/h (44 mph) from the north of the country to the northern Negev Desert.
It also issued an “orange warning” for high seas and dangerous swimming conditions on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Snow was expected to begin falling on Mount Hermon on Thursday afternoon, the IMS said, and would continue into the night even as the rain petered off in other parts of the country.
The storm is expected to keep its grip on Israel for several days, and Friday will see a further drop in temperatures, along with a chance for light snowfall in the Golan Heights and parts of the Galilee.
Temperatures will continue to drop, with the coldest day expected to be Monday, February 24, when, according to the IMS, there will be a chance of light snowfall in parts of central Israel, including in the Jerusalem hills.
Israel’s central hilly region, including Jerusalem, gets snowfall once every few years, though forecasts of snow often don’t pan out.
The Times of Israel Community.