Weeklong storms, snow begin to recede in Israel
After week-long torrential rains and high winds across the country, most of inland Israel was hit by a blizzard Thursday, closing schools and halting public city and intercity transport, as temperatures dropped below zero. The main highways connecting Jerusalem to the rest of the country were blocked and will be cleared by Friday. The real damage was caused by flooding which forced the evacuation of dozens of householders from water-logged homes in two places, Hadera and a village east of Netanya as rivers and normally dry wadis burst their banks.