Suddenly, in the first month of spring in Israel, real winter weather with snow and lowered temperatures came roaring in. On the night of 2 March, in the areas of Jerusalem located at altitudes above 700 metres (@2,300 feet) above sea level, snow began to fall. By morning, the snow level reached a height of 4-5 centimetres (1.6-2 inches). The abnormal weather triggered traffic disruptions. In areas with the greatest snowfall, schools cancelled classes. The last time that snow fell in Jerusalem was in 2008.
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Snow covered the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, Galilee, and the West Bank.
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To restore traffic in the city centre, snow-ploughs had to clear Jerusalem’s streets.
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Because of the unusual weather conditions in Jerusalem, the demand for heaters and warm clothing increased.
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Local authorities decided to cancel school in the villages of Ofra, Psagot, Beit El, and several other settlements around Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria.
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Weather forecasters promise that normal spring weather will follow the cold cyclone, there’ll be a gradual increase in temperature, and rain will replace the snow.
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Jerusalemites build an early March snowman.
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5 March 2012
Voice of Russia World Service
