Winter storms batter northern Israel

The storm marks a difficult week in terms of weather for much of Israel, which included snowfall on the Hermon mountain, in addition to property damage in Ashkelon and Ashdod also due to flooding.

Flooding in Haifa  (photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)
Flooding in Haifa
(photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)
Heavy flooding impacted much of northern Israel, due to heavy rains and winter storms.
Firefighting and rescue forces rescued a family from commercial vehicle in Nesher, south-east of Haifa while eight others were rescued from vehicles that were caught in Haifa metropolitan area.
On Lehi Street, which connects the Kibbutz of Nesher to Haifa, three people were rescued from their vehicles, with another four rescued in the area of Kiryat Ata Junction, as well as the neighborhood of Vardia.
In response to the flooding, police deployed roadblocks in several sections of the Haifa metropolitan area and Krayot, on the outskirts of the city.
Industrial Pioneers Street, Kfar Hasidim Crossing and Kiryat Ata Junction were also blocked by police. In addition, the Paz Bridge was flooded, blocking traffic, while the streets of Michael along with several streets in Hadar and Neve Shaanan in Haifa were blocked as well.
The Acre area was also impacted by the heavy rain, leading to blockages on Herzl street, Ramchal, and Babylon. Part of Route 8510, near the entrance of Acre, was also affected by the strong winter storms, which caused flooding in the area.
This storm marks a difficult week in terms of weather for much of Israel, which included snowfall on the Hermon mountain, in addition to property damage in Ashkelon and Ashdod due also to flooding. Strong winds throughout much of the week also damaged the properties of residents throughout the country, with forecasters now expecting a significant drop in temperatures in the upcoming week.