BEIRUT (AP) – Snow covered parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel on Wednesday, covering areas it has not been in for years, disrupting traffic and delaying vaccinations against COVID-19 and even exams at some universities.
It snowed for the first time in years in Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, and in Bayda in northeastern Libya.
Strong winds cut off electricity in large parts of Lebanon, forcing many Lebanese, already accustomed to power outages, to rely on generators for extended hours. Rescuers pulled four motorists out of 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 soccer tournament from continuing, as Army Sports Club and Al-Karamah took up the fight despite the snow covering the field, reports the Syrian Al -Watan newspaper.
According to the official state news agency SANA, the snow in the mountains of the Sweida province in Syria was up to 15 cm (6 inches). Roads in some provinces have been blocked. In the central province of Hama, bulldozers shoveled snow onto open roads while vehicles slipped on ice, causing traffic disruption.
The University of Damascus has halted the midterm exams scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in all its branches around Syria due to extreme weather conditions. The country’s ports remained open. Later, local authorities in the provinces of Sweida, Quneitra, Daraa and Tartous suspended the school on Thursday due to the storm and heavy snowfall.
In northwestern Syria, which is being held by the opposition, civil defense teams have been building dirt dumps around camps for displaced people since Tuesday to prevent rain from flooding the overcrowded areas. Nearly 3 million displaced people live in northwestern Syria, mostly in tents and temporary shelters. Heavy rainfall last month damaged more than 190 displacement sites and destroyed more than 10,000 tents.
In neighboring Lebanon, Storm Joyce hit late Tuesday with gale-force winds registering between 85 km / h (52 miles / h) and 100 km / h (62 miles / h). The storm is expected to intensify on Thursday.
The storm brought heavy rainfall, a sharp drop in temperatures and the heaviest snow in Lebanon this year. According to the meteorological department, snow is expected to be as high as 400 meters high. Nearly a dozen roads in eastern and northern Lebanon were closed to traffic due to the snow. A club and restaurant on the beach were submerged in water when waves of almost 4 meters high hit the beach.
The Israeli Meteorological Service predicted heavy thunderstorms and cold temperatures in much of the country, with snowfall at higher altitudes expected later on Wednesday, also in Jerusalem. On Wednesday night, Israeli police closed the highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem due to snow.
Heavy snowfall has covered the Israel-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria.
In Jordan, the COVID-19 vaccination process has been suspended due to severe weather conditions. Schools and universities also postpone classes. Jordan’s prime minister, Bishr al-Khasawneh, announced on Thursday that it would be an official holiday for the public and private sectors due to the blizzard.
Osama al-Tarifi, director of the operating room of the Arab weather site, said the snow had reached 20 cm (8 inches) in the mountains of Ajloun in northern Jordan, where snowfall has been steady since Tuesday night. Heavy snow is expected in the capital Amman on Wednesday.
In some areas of Jordan the wind exceeded 100 km / h (62 miles / h).
In Libya, snow has covered the northeastern mountains of the country, as snow 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 northeastern part of Libya took their children out for fun, some had snowmen and others started snowball fights.
“I was actually amazed at 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, known for recurring snow in Libya, but not seen for several years.
In neighboring Egypt, heavy rain and windy weather prevailed Wednesday and it was expected to last Thursday, the country’s meteorological agency said. Authorities in the southern Sinai province, which includes tourist hubs, have canceled tourist activities, including safaris and sailing to withstand the storm.
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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.