The first snow of the season shut down traffic and caused blackouts that left thousands of Israelis from the north to the Negev without heat or lights for various durations on Wednesday.
On the other hand, it marked a welcome end to the drought that had plagued the country for the last several weeks.
Public transportation in Beitar Illit was shut down and the community’s “snow committee” urged residents not to leave the town limits. Access routes in and out of the community were blocked by the drifting snow, according to municipal hotline director Guy Akriv, who said the Tunnel Road and the Ein Kerem Road were both impassable.
Galilee police blocked off traffic on Route 889 between Tzfat (Safed) and Rosh Pina due to the heavy accumulation of snow. The access road to Tzfat between Biria Junction and Meron was also sealed off, with drivers redirected to detour routes.
Traffic in the Upper Galilee and northern Golan Heights was moving, but very slowly, due to the icy conditions. Snow continued to fall overnight in the Mount Hermon area.
A 19-year-old Tiberias youth was seriously injured when he was struck by a marble tile that flew off a building. In Akko, a woman was lightly injured when she was trapped under a tree that was blown down by the strong winds.
Motorists were crawling down the icy streets of Jerusalem as an accumulation of some 8 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) of the white stuff coated the capital.
Local travelers found themselves walking to their destinations rather than wait endlessly for public bus service that was forced to a standstill for several hours by the messy weather.
Heavy snowfall was also seen in Judea and Samaria, with residents in many small communities reporting they were snowed in Wednesday evening. More than 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snow was reported in Kiryat Arba; a similar accumulation was seen in Beit El.
The snowstorm made its way south from Mt. Hermon, reaching as far as the Negev desert town of Mitzpe Ramon by Wednesday afternoon. Strong winds blew down a group of tents and shacks in a small Bedouin village outside the city of Rahat, lightly injuring a pregnant woman and six children.
Some 200 tent dwellers were taken to a school in Rahat to spend the night and 30 members of the community were treated for frostbite.
The Israel Electric Company announced it had reached capacity by early evening and that reserves were running very low. Electricity use reached a record 9,450 megawatts as severe weather conditions and plunging temperatures sent Israelis straight to the electric space heaters.
Power outages were reported in a number of communities in the south, including Yatir and Arad. The company asked consumers to refrain from using high-consumption appliances overnight in order to relieve the national grid. Dishwashers, washing machines, baking ovens, electric grills, water heaters and vacuum cleaners were all on the ‘please-don’t-use-these-tonight’ list.
On the other hand, it marked a welcome end to the drought that had plagued the country for the last several weeks.
Public transportation in Beitar Illit was shut down and the community’s “snow committee” urged residents not to leave the town limits. Access routes in and out of the community were blocked by the drifting snow, according to municipal hotline director Guy Akriv, who said the Tunnel Road and the Ein Kerem Road were both impassable.
Galilee police blocked off traffic on Route 889 between Tzfat (Safed) and Rosh Pina due to the heavy accumulation of snow. The access road to Tzfat between Biria Junction and Meron was also sealed off, with drivers redirected to detour routes.
Traffic in the Upper Galilee and northern Golan Heights was moving, but very slowly, due to the icy conditions. Snow continued to fall overnight in the Mount Hermon area.
A 19-year-old Tiberias youth was seriously injured when he was struck by a marble tile that flew off a building. In Akko, a woman was lightly injured when she was trapped under a tree that was blown down by the strong winds.
Motorists were crawling down the icy streets of Jerusalem as an accumulation of some 8 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) of the white stuff coated the capital.
Local travelers found themselves walking to their destinations rather than wait endlessly for public bus service that was forced to a standstill for several hours by the messy weather.
Heavy snowfall was also seen in Judea and Samaria, with residents in many small communities reporting they were snowed in Wednesday evening. More than 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snow was reported in Kiryat Arba; a similar accumulation was seen in Beit El.
The snowstorm made its way south from Mt. Hermon, reaching as far as the Negev desert town of Mitzpe Ramon by Wednesday afternoon. Strong winds blew down a group of tents and shacks in a small Bedouin village outside the city of Rahat, lightly injuring a pregnant woman and six children.
Some 200 tent dwellers were taken to a school in Rahat to spend the night and 30 members of the community were treated for frostbite.
The Israel Electric Company announced it had reached capacity by early evening and that reserves were running very low. Electricity use reached a record 9,450 megawatts as severe weather conditions and plunging temperatures sent Israelis straight to the electric space heaters.
Power outages were reported in a number of communities in the south, including Yatir and Arad. The company asked consumers to refrain from using high-consumption appliances overnight in order to relieve the national grid. Dishwashers, washing machines, baking ovens, electric grills, water heaters and vacuum cleaners were all on the ‘please-don’t-use-these-tonight’ list.