Greets and saluts from the NYC metro area. We’re supposed to get a bunch of snow in the area tomorrow, but we at least know how to deal with it. We’ve got snow plows, salt spreaders, and people who are accustomed to dealing with snows - even when we get more than a foot.

The same can’t be said for Israel, where other than a few spots in the Golan Heights get very little snow normally. The snowstorm hitting Jerusalem is one of the biggest in generations, and they simply don’t have the gear to clear roads. It’s a mess, and there are flood warnings through Tel Aviv because of rains. The roads between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are shuttered. Ben Gurion was shut down for a time as well.

Jerusalem received between 30 centimeters and half a meter of snow by Friday morning depending on the area in the city. That compares to the rest of the country, including the North:

the North as of 9 am Friday only a few centimeters of snow had fallen. Overnight, between 50 and 70 millimeters of rainfall drenched the coastal plain and the Shfela region, accompanied by hail and thunderstorms. Flooding and water damage struck the area between Ashkelon and Netanya, the IMS said.

Strong rainfall will continue throughout the day Friday, while the unseasonably low temperatures will maintain the snowy conditions in central mountains above 600 meters, according to the IMS. Tens more centimeters of snow should fall, bringing the snow level potentially up to over 1 meter by Saturday morning.

In the North, snow will also continue to fall in mountains over 600 meters, though accumulating only up to about 10 centimeters by Saturday morning.

Due to the influx of cold air, sleet is expected to begin to cover Mitzpe Ramon by noon and turn into snowfall by the afternoon, the IMS said. In the evening, snow will likely fall over the Negev highlands, stacking to about 1 centimeter.

Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and hail, will continue to drench the coastal plane, with risk of flooding in the region between Kiryat Gat and Hadera, the IMS said. Toward evening the Ayalon and Yarkon rivers may overflow after reaching full capacity.

The Jordan Valley, Judean Desert and Negev may also receive floods, and Road 90 will continue to face challenges, the IMS said.

Rain will continue through Saturday until it begins to weaken and eventually ceases by nighttime, the IMS reported. Snowfall in Jerusalem should turn to sleet by noon and stop by the afternoon. As the skies become clearer, however, the temperatures will remain cold, falling to below zero in many places and causing icy - “black ice” - road conditions, the IMS warned.

Also as a result of the storm, Israel has opened the crossing with Gaza to allow more fuel, pumps and other materials to enter.

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Math conversion:
50-70mm = about 1.5 to 2 inches of rain.
30 cm = just under a foot.
half a meter = about 20 inches.
1 meter = 39 inches.

In other words, we’re talking historic snowfalls.