BEIRUT (AP) – Snow-covered parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel Wednesday, areas it hasn’t reached in years, disrupted traffic and postponed COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and even exams at some universities.
It snowed for the first time in years in Marjayoun in southern Lebanon and Bayda in northeastern Libya.
Storm winds knocked out electricity in much of Lebanon, forcing many Lebanese, already used to power cuts, to rely on generators for longer. Rescuers removed four motorists from their snow-covered cars, the National News Agency said.
The first snow this winter in the Syrian capital Damascus did not prevent the Premier League football tournament from going ahead, as Army Sports Club and Al-Karamah faced each other despite the snow covering the field, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported.
In the mountains of the Sweida province in Syria, the snow was up to 15 cm high, according to the official state news agency SANA. Roads were blocked in some provinces. In central Hama province, bulldozers shoveled snow to open roads while vehicles slid on ice, causing traffic disruption.
Damascus University has canceled mid-term exams scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday at all of its facilities in Syria due to extreme weather conditions. The country’s ports remained open. Later, local authorities in Sweida, Quneitra, Daraa and Tartous provinces suspended school on Thursday due to the storm and heavy snowfall.
In opposition-run northwestern Syria, civil defense teams have been building sand mounds around displaced people camps since Tuesday to prevent rain from flooding busy areas. Almost 3 million displaced people live in northwestern Syria, most of them in tents and temporary shelters. Heavy rainfall last month damaged more than 190 relocation sites, destroying and damaging more than 10,000 tents.
In neighboring Lebanon, Storm hit Joyce late on Tuesday with gale-force winds between 85 km / h (52 mph) and 100 km / h (62 mph). The storm is expected to get stronger on Thursday.
Breaking through a warm period, the storm brought heavy rainfall, a sharp drop in temperature and the heaviest snowfall in Lebanon this year. According to the meteorological service, snow is expected in areas with an altitude of only 400 meters. Nearly a dozen roads in eastern and northern Lebanon were closed to traffic due to snow. A beach club and restaurant were submerged in water when waves nearly 4 meters high hit the shore.
The Israel Meteorological Service predicts severe thunderstorms and cold temperatures across much of the country, with snowfall at higher elevations later Wednesday, including in Jerusalem. On Wednesday evening, Israeli police closed the main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem due to snow.
Heavy snow covered the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria.
In Jordan, the COVID-19 vaccination journey was halted due to harsh weather conditions. Schools and universities also postpone lessons. Jordanian Prime Minister Bishr al-Khasawneh has announced that Thursday will be a public holiday for both the public and private sectors due to the snowstorm.
Osama al-Tarifi, operating theater director at the Arabia Weather site, said the snow has reached 20 cm (8 inches) in the Ajloun mountains in northern Jordan, where snow has been falling non-stop since Tuesday night. Heavy snowfall is expected in the capital Amman on Wednesday.
Winds exceeded 62 mph (100 km / h) in some areas of Jordan.
In Libya, snow covered the country’s northeastern mountains, while snowfall has continued since Tuesday, covering forests and roads in some areas of the North African country.
Residents of the Jabal al-Akhdar area in the far north-east of Libya took their children for fun, some making snowmen and others starting snowball fights.
“I was actually surprised by the number of families who came here to take pictures to remember the snow,” said Ali al-Shairi, an amateur photographer from the eastern city of Bayda, who is known for returning snow in Libya, but already a not seen for a few years.
In neighboring Egypt, heavy rain and windy weather prevailed on Wednesday and it was expected to last until Thursday, the country’s meteorological service said. Authorities in South Sinai province, which includes tourist centers, have canceled tourist activities, including safaris and cruises to weather the storm.
Associated Press Writers Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan; Samy Magdy in Cairo; and Isaac Scharf and Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem contributed to this report.