Worst of storm is over, clear skies expected

Tel Aviv city hall says damage runs in the millions.

By BEN HARTMAN
Soldier in Snow 311 (photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Soldier in Snow 311
(photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
The fierce storms that brought winter in with a bang largely calmed down on Monday, and forecasters said the weather would soon clear up, except for scattered rainstorms in the North.
Temperatures across the country are expected to rise considerably as well on Tuesday and Wednesday, though rain is set to return by the weekend.
Sunday saw 100-km. winds and heavy rain from the Golan to the northern Negev, wreaking havoc and causing power outages and disruptions of air and sea traffic.
On Monday, an Ashkelon woman was seriously injured when she was hit by a tree felled by the wind. She was rushed to the city’s Barzilai Medical Center.
The Tel Aviv Municipality said repairing the damage to the beachfront promenade would run into the millions of shekels. The driving winds and surging seas tore trees and pavement from the boardwalk, destroyed gazebos and fences, and caused serious damage to the wave-breakers at the marina.
On Monday, the city began the clean-up process, with the help of the Atarim firm that manages the marina.
There was also significant damage at the port in Jaffa, as well as to the ancient port of Caesarea, where a wave-breaker collapsed, leaving the cherished archeological site exposed to the battering waves.
The storm also brought the winter’s first snow to Mount Hermon, where more than a meter of powder closed the ski site pending clean up.
Light snow mixed with freezing rain fell in Jerusalem overnight Sunday, but it was not cold enough to stick.
The Israel Electric Corporation said on Monday that it had dealt with around 7,500 power disruptions, and that more than 2,000 technicians have been deployed. At press time, technicians were still dealing with localized power outages at a number of locations across the country.