Jerusalem awoke Thursday morning to find that the storm "Elpis" left up to 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) of snow on the ground.

Snow also fell in many Binyamin Region towns, in Gush Etzion, and in a number of places in Samaria.

Thursday will be colder than usual for the season, and rain will continue falling intermittently from northern Israel to the northern Negev. Snow will continue to fall on Mount Hermon and in the northern Golan Heights, and during the morning hours may also fall on the higher peaks of the Galilee and central mountains. There is still a slight chance of flooding in the Judean Desert and Dead Sea areas, as well as in coastal cities.

Friday will see intermittent rainfall from northern Israel to the northern Negev, and there may be flooding in areas prone to it. On Mount Hermon there will be snow, and there may also be snow in the northern Golan.

Saturday will be partly cloudy and there may still be light local rainfall in northern and central Israel. Temperatures will be lower than usual.

In a situational assessment Thursday morning, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and the city's Director General decided that due to the weather, the light rail train will begin operating at 8:30a.m., with the bus system beginning operations only later in the day.

Israel Railways is operating special lines throughout Thursday, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Due to the heavy snow, the roads leading to Jerusalem have been partially closed, and within the city, the roads are being salted and plowed. The city has requested that residents not travel by vehicle until the roads are safe enough to drive on.