After a period of unseasonably warm weather, Israel is expected to experience plunging temperatures and a wintry blast later this week, the Times of Israel reports.
Forecasts indicate Jerusalem could see a rare snowstorm overnight Wednesday-Thursday, though the chances of anything more than a dusting were seen as slim, as of Sunday.
Israel’s central mountainous region, including Jerusalem, gets snowfall every few years. In 2013, a major blizzard knocked out power in several neighborhoods after blanketing the city with up to 30 centimeters (one foot) of snow. That same storm socked higher elevations south of the city with up to 90 centimeters (three feet) of snow, in what was deemed a once-in-a-century event.
Unlike previous years, the prospective closure of schools in the capital over the weather is a non-issue, as the education system remains largely shut in Jerusalem, as part of the country’s third pandemic lockdown.
Rains will begin in the north late Tuesday and gradually spread throughout the country, accompanied by fierce winds.
Overnight Wednesday-Thursday, temperatures in Jerusalem could dip below freezing and residents of the capital could wake up to snow.
The rains and cold weather will continue into the weekend nationwide.
After the country went through its wettest November since 1994, the weather has been mostly sunny and unseasonably warm, with occasional rainstorms.
