Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
JERUSALEM (AP)--A rare blizzard stormed through the Middle East on Wednesday, blanketing parts of the Holy Land in white, blocking roads and shutting schools across the region and sending excited children into empty streets for snowball fights.
Snow falls in Jerusalem once or twice each winter, but temperatures rarely drop low enough for it to stick, and the city is not designed to deal with snowy weather. With schools shut, most public places closed down and many people stayed home from work.
In Ramallah, residents were surprised to see snow when they woke up. For some, it was their first time.
In Amman, children sledded on inflatable tubes and plastic bowls as snow plows tried to open streets clogged with one foot of snow.
Police warned that roads in the capital and highways linking the capital were temporarily closed. Announcements broadcast on state television appealed for citizens to remain indoors to avoid the dangers of icy roads.
Snow covered most mountain villages and blocked roads in Lebanon as strong winds and heavy rains lashed at coastal areas off the Mediterranean. The storm disrupted power supplies in most Lebanese towns and villages, exacerbating already existing power cuts. Portions of the Beirut-Damascus highway linking Lebanon with Syria were closed.
In Syria, temperatures dipped below freezing and snow blanketed the hills overlooking Damascus. High winds of 70 kilometers an hour forced the closure of the Mediterranean ports of Tartous and Lattakia, according to the Syria Meteorology department.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
30-01-08 1308GMT
