Snow in Samaria (archive)
Snow in Samaria (archive)Israel News (Yishai Fleisher)

The floodgates of heaven opened up for Israel over the weekend, bringing at least nine inches of rain in northern Israel and six to seven inches in southern and central regions.

Life-saving precipitation continued to fall across the country on Sunday morning, including in the south of the country. In the southern Hevron Hills, heavy snow was reported at 8:20 a.m. and rain was falling in Arad, located in the northeastern corner of the Negev above the southern tip of the Dead Sea.

Heavy snow began falling overnight in the Samaria region, where the community of Beit El was blanketed by a velvet white sheen. Snow also fell in Jerusalem and continued into the morning hours. At least four inches of rain fell in the Rehovot area, south of Tel Aviv.

Israel's north-south Highway 90 was closed to traffic near Ein Gedi along the Dead Sea on Sunday morning due to flash floods in the area. Travelers were warned of flash floods elsewhere along the Dead Sea and in the Negev desert region as well.

More rain is expected in the forecast during the day on Sunday, with the prospect of more light snow falling on the higher hills of Judea and Samaria, and precipitation expected to spread as far south as Eilat.

Meteorologists said the rain will subside Sunday evening but predict more light showers will fall Monday night.

The winter storm, the most ferocious yet to reach Israel this season, was accompanied by lightning, hail and gale force winds in some areas. The Hermon ski site was closed as heavy snowstorms dumped more than a foot of snow on the upper slopes, bringing the total depth to more than three feet.

The heavy rains immediately added an inch to the level of the Kinneret, and runoff from mountain streams during the week is expected to raise the level by at least a foot and possibly more.

The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) has risen by 21 centimeters (nine inches) since the precipitation began falling on Friday. Meteorologists said the lake could rise by another 20 inches in the next week due to runoff and continued rain storms.

The lake had previously risen only 28 centimeters (11 inches) since its low point this winter. Before the storm hit, the Kinneret was 85 centimeters (34 inches) over the black line, where ground contamination may force a halt to pumping of water into water lines.

The red line, which is the minimum desirable level, is 1.15 meters (46 inches) above the current water level. Meteorologists said there is a slight chance of more rain next Sabbath, and one or two more late winter storms could bring the Kinneret above the red line and possibly leave Israelis with enough water for daily use throughout the summer.