Published: January 7,2015
A
powerful winter storm dumped snow, heavy rain, high winds and hail
across the Middle East, killing at least two Syrian refugees trekking
out of the war-torn country into Lebanon, injuring at least three others
and knocking out power to thousands.
"The jet stream carved out a sharp trough from western Russia into the eastern Mediterranean Sea," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. "With cold air near the surface and enough moisture and lift from the trough, snow was generated from southeast Europe into the Middle East."
"The jet stream carved out a sharp trough from western Russia into the eastern Mediterranean Sea," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. "With cold air near the surface and enough moisture and lift from the trough, snow was generated from southeast Europe into the Middle East."
Erdman
said that cold winds over the Black Sea also generated sea-effect snow
over Istanbul, Turkey, and even on the Greek islands of Crete and
Santorini.
Here are the latest impacts across the Middle East from the winter storms:
Winds brought down a billboard onto three people in Holon, Israel, injuring them, Haaretz reports.
Schools in Jerusalem proper and other cities were shut down due to the encroaching storm. Snow forced the closure of many roads in the north of the country, particularly at higher elevations, the Associated Press reports. According to Haaretz, at one point during the day Wednesday, all roads leading into Jerusalem were closed due to snow. Those roads have since been reopened.
The paper also reports that lightning struck an air traffic control tower at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, leading to flight delays in excess of an hour.
Israeli soldiers were deployed to northern portions of the country to keep hospitals open during the snow. More than 100 snowplows were deployed in Jerusalem to clear roads.
(MORE: 10 Shocking Snow Cities)
The Red Cross confirmed that two refugees died in the treacherous snow and cold in south Lebanon. The Associated Press reports that Ammar Kamel, 30, and Majed Badawi, 7, both died in the mountains near the town of Ain al-Joz, Lebanon.
The hundreds of thousands of refugees struggled to clear snow from their tents, fearing that the weight of the snow could collapse, or later flood, their only shelter.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that there have been more than 100 tent collapse reports already and that roads were cut off by heavy snowfall, limiting access to vital resources. UNHCR opened six emergency shelters for the refugees in response to the storm.
The Lebanon Daily Star reports that the Red Cross had conducted more than 200 rescue related operations in the country due to the winter storm. The paper also reports that a major highway, which connects the Lebanese capital of Beirut with the Syrian capital of Damascus was impassable due to the storm.
An infant reportedly died in a fire caused by a heating stove in a refugee camp in the West Bank.
Here are the latest impacts across the Middle East from the winter storms:
Israel
Strong winds toppled trees and power lines in several cities, leading to power outages in Haifa and Tel Aviv, amongst other cities, the Times of Israel reports.Winds brought down a billboard onto three people in Holon, Israel, injuring them, Haaretz reports.
Schools in Jerusalem proper and other cities were shut down due to the encroaching storm. Snow forced the closure of many roads in the north of the country, particularly at higher elevations, the Associated Press reports. According to Haaretz, at one point during the day Wednesday, all roads leading into Jerusalem were closed due to snow. Those roads have since been reopened.
The paper also reports that lightning struck an air traffic control tower at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, leading to flight delays in excess of an hour.
Israeli soldiers were deployed to northern portions of the country to keep hospitals open during the snow. More than 100 snowplows were deployed in Jerusalem to clear roads.
(MORE: 10 Shocking Snow Cities)
Lebanon
Snow, hail and cold temperatures descended upon the Bekaa Valley, home to some 400,000 Syrian refugees, the Guardian reports.The Red Cross confirmed that two refugees died in the treacherous snow and cold in south Lebanon. The Associated Press reports that Ammar Kamel, 30, and Majed Badawi, 7, both died in the mountains near the town of Ain al-Joz, Lebanon.
The hundreds of thousands of refugees struggled to clear snow from their tents, fearing that the weight of the snow could collapse, or later flood, their only shelter.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that there have been more than 100 tent collapse reports already and that roads were cut off by heavy snowfall, limiting access to vital resources. UNHCR opened six emergency shelters for the refugees in response to the storm.
The Lebanon Daily Star reports that the Red Cross had conducted more than 200 rescue related operations in the country due to the winter storm. The paper also reports that a major highway, which connects the Lebanese capital of Beirut with the Syrian capital of Damascus was impassable due to the storm.
Palestine
According to the Associated Press, Palestinian leaders declared a state of emergency in the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to the storm.An infant reportedly died in a fire caused by a heating stove in a refugee camp in the West Bank.
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