A white blanket covered many parts of Jerusalem briefly on
Monday. Snow fell more seriously in the North, cutting off
Tzfas. Snow also reached lower peaks in the Galilee and fell
on Mount Carmel.
By Tuesday morning all the snow in Jerusalem had melted, but
the weatherman predicted that the storm would return on
Wednesday. Heavy rain was forecast in most parts of the
country which could turn to snow on Mount Hermon, the
northern hills, and in Jerusalem.
There was gridlock in the capital within an hour of the snow
falling there, and the main entrance to the city was blocked
for several hours.
Many roads were closed due to snow on the Golan, the routes
to Tzfas, the slopes of Har Meron, and other places in the
hills of the Galil.
Temperatures Monday night dropped to below zero in Jerusalem
and on the Golan and Galilee peaks, and as low as 6
Centigrade along the coast. However no freezing was evident
on Jerusalem on Tuesday morning.
Electricity consumption reached an all-time record Monday
night. Israel Electric said the 8,000 megawatt record of the
day before was already surpassed by 7 p.m. Monday, with
consumption of more than 8,500 megawatts recorded.
The rain and snow will help boost the depleted Kinneret,
where the level has risen by just 22 centimeters since the
beginning of the winter and is still six meters from its
maximum mark.
