Golan residents stuck inside as snowfall continues

Inclement weather causes delays at Ben-Gurion; Golan schoolchildren get snow day; J'lem prepares for snow - again.

Kibbutz Meron Golan resident digs through snow 390 (photo credit: Eran Glick)
Kibbutz Meron Golan resident digs through snow 390
(photo credit: Eran Glick)
Snow continued falling on the Golan Heights Thursday after particularly harsh storms Wednesday, leaving some residents trapped in their communities. Crews and residents alike were struggling to clear roads and paths, unaided by continuous snowfall.

At Kibbutz Marom Golan, residents were stuck in the kibbutz after some 25 centimeters of snow accumulated overnight. Police said roads in the northern Golan Heights remained closed Thursday afternoon.In some areas of the Golan, residents were left without electricity due to the winter weather.In the northern Heights, school was canceled due to the snowfall and closed roads. In addition to schools in the northern Golan, children studying at the Har v'Gai school in the Upper Galilee also got a snow day.The problems caused across the country by the storm also affected landings at Ben-Gurion Airport Thursday, leading to delays for a number of incoming flights. One flight that did not have enough fuel to circle while waiting out the weather was forced to land in Cyprus. The plane was expected to refuel there before returning to Ben-Gurion Airport, Channel 10 reported. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Municipality was busy preparing for possible snow fall Thursday and over the weekend, just weeks after an expected snow storm failed to materialize, disappointing excited residents.The municipality was equipping 50 tractors to function as snow plows and to spread salt on roads. Municipal authorities prepared some 40 metric tons of salt to spread on roads, areas likely to ice over and central thoroughfares.The city said it would announce at 6 a.m. Friday morning whether schools would open as usual, depending on the weather.