Snow started falling today in the central mountainous regions, including in Jerusalem and Binyamin. It is expected to strengthen in the coming hours, and may not stop until Wednesday. Heavy rains are expected to fall in the rest of Israel. The Kinneret rose another 7 centimeters yesterday, and is presently measured at 212.26 centimeters below sea level, or 3.36 meters below optimum level. It has risen 2.16 meters so far this winter.
It's not only the Kinneret; the artificial reservoirs around the country are also filling up. The national Mekorot Water Company has so far amassed some 31 million cubic meters of water, equal to about 18 centimeters of Kinneret height. Half of this amount was obtained in the past month. Some 13 million cubic meters are now stored in the Nachalei Menashe reservoir; last year it amassed only four million. Despite the good news, the overall water picture in Israel is still grim, emphasize Mekorot officials, because of the drought of the past few years.
Snow alerts have been declared in many cities. Schools in Jerusalem and Gush Etzion closed early this afternoon, and many dormitory schools have sent their students home.
In a possibly related item, two Israeli aircraft had major problems today. An F-16 jet flying over Jenin crashed to the ground, after the pilot parachuted out safely in the Ta'nachim region, between Afula and the northern Shomron. Outside Ashkelon, a helicopter made a safe emergency landing.