The Middle East received a rare snowstorm this week, blanketing the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The snowstorm has closed schools in many areas and halted vaccination programs.
The Sun reports that the snow, triggered by the polar vortex, covered large areas of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya and Israel, and even came to areas of the Middle East where it has not snowed for years.
Outside the gates of Jerusalem’s Old City, children threw snowballs at each other while others trudged through thick snow to the holy site.
We came here from Tel Aviv to play in the snow,” Ben Miller told Reuters. It’s quite rare to get snow in Jerusalem, I think the last Time was 2013.”
The snowstorm hit on the evening of the 17th and Israeli police closed the main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The snow caused traffic chaos, halted the new coronavirus vaccination program and forced the cancellation of some university exams.
Storm Joyce battered Lebanon, bringing strong winds, widespread snowfall and storm surges. In the southern region of Marjayoun, snow fell for the first time in years.
Lebanon’s already unstable power supply experienced massive regional power outages, leaving people relying on generators for longer periods of time.
According to the Syrian News Agency (SANA), the snow in Sweida province was as deep as 15 centimeters; many provincial roads were closed and vehicles skidded on the roads, with authorities using snowplows to plow the roads.
University midterms in the capital Damascus were cancelled, and schools in many governorates were closed yesterday due to heavy snowfall.
Heavy snow even came to the northeastern Libyan city of Bayda, the first time in 15 years, covering the northeastern mountains and roads of the North African country.
Turkey also reported disaster conditions, with a number of car accidents and icy roads in Istanbul, where authorities said some areas had accumulated up to 50 centimeters of snow. The Anadolu news agency reported that 22 people were injured when a bus skidded and overturned on a road in the central province of Aksaray.
The Greek government called in the armed forces to help repair the damage caused by the heavy snowfall across the capital Athens on 17 May. Authorities described it as the worst snowstorm in 40 years, leaving parts of Athens without water and electricity.
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