Snow in Israel

Elevation strongly influences where snow falls in Israel. Snow falls annually in the highest northern areas, including Mount Hermon, the northern Golan Heights, and Mount Meron, but is less frequent at lower elevations.[1] At elevations of roughly 700–900 meters, occasional snowfall reaches places such as Safed, Jerusalem, Ma'alot-Tarshiha, and the highlands of Judea, Samaria, and the Negev, including Sde Boker, Mitzpe Ramon, and Dimona.[1]

Jerusalem stands on hills approximately 785 meters above sea level and has cool, rainy winters; its snowfalls are generally light, and some years have none.[7] Jerusalem and Hebron receive snow on average once every two or three years, while the highest parts of the Upper Galilee receive it nearly every year.[2] Snow in these hill areas usually remains on the ground for only a few hours.[2] This contrasts with Mount Hermon, where snow persists for months and contributes water to perennial streams.[2][3]

Snow occurs within Israel's cool-season precipitation regime, which varies substantially by elevation and latitude. A geographical survey describes rainfall as normally beginning in November, increasing toward January and February, and decreasing again toward May, while Jerusalem climate notes define the broader rainy season as usually lasting from October through May.[3][8] January and February are the usual snow months, although snowfall has also occurred in November, December, March, and April.[3]

The contrast between hill and lowland winters was documented in 1935. A British government report described the central highlands as having greater daily and seasonal temperature variation than the maritime plain, with occasional snow and hail in Jerusalem and Hebron, while the Jordan Valley's winter was characterized as warm and balmy.[9] Exceptional cold waves can nevertheless extend snow well outside its usual range, as occurred on the coastal plain in 1950 and across widely separated northern and southern localities in 1992.[4][10]

A severe cold spell on February 9–12, 1920, buried Jerusalem under snow, with measurements around the city ranging from 65 to 97.5 centimeters.[4] A geographical survey identifies a February 1920 depth of 97 centimeters as Jerusalem's heaviest recorded snowfall in the century covered by its account.[3] The storm damaged homes through roof collapses and flooding from meltwater, forcing some families to leave while repairs were undertaken.[11]

One Jerusalem resident appealed to the Zionist Commission in 1920 after storm damage to her houses in the Nahalat Shiva quarter ended her rental income.[11] Her letter stated, “During the terrible storm, my houses in the Nahalat Shiva quarter collapsed…” and, later, “Now I have nothing to eat.”[11] Residents unable to afford repairs sought organizational assistance for damage to buildings and property.[11]

Photographs also preserve early snow-covered city scenes: a 1921 American Colony Photo Department image titled “Snow in Jerusalem, 1921. Snow and the mosque” belongs to the Matson photograph collection and carries the caption “Jerusalem, new city.”[12] Another historical photograph, titled “Snow in the Jerusalem Alleys, 1940s,” shows the city's alleys covered in snow.[13]

The winter of 1950 brought widespread snowstorms in January and February, causing substantial damage in places where snow was unusual.[1][4] Following earlier January snowfall in the north and Jerusalem, heavy snow fell across the country on February 6 and 7, reaching Tel Aviv and other coastal-plain communities.[1] Snow was recorded in Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Rishon LeZion, Rehovot, Petah Tikva, Kfar Saba, Netanya, and Lod, as well as in the Negev highlands and around the Sea of Galilee.[1][4]

Measurements from the 1950 event included 60 centimeters in Safed and 17 centimeters in Haifa, while Tel Aviv measurements included 10 centimeters at the Kirya and 12 centimeters at the Reading station.[4] A temperature of minus 10°C was recorded at Manara.[4] Snow reached the Dead Sea area and Jericho on February 8, with eight centimeters accumulating in Jericho.[1] A geographical account describes the early-1950 snow cover as extending across northern and central Eretz Israel down to the Mediterranean.[3]

The 1950 storm had deadly consequences: four new immigrants died when the roof of a dining hall at the Ein Shemer immigrant camp collapsed under the weight of snow.[1] A contemporary account also recorded a death from pneumonia at Ras el Ain, 200 tents blown down, and the relocation of their occupants into solid buildings.[14] The road between Jerusalem and the coastal plain became impassable, prompting postponement of a scheduled Knesset session.[14] Buildings, electricity and telephone services, public transport, and agriculture sustained damage.[1]

During the winter of 1991–92, snow reached from the Golan Heights to Beersheba, Dimona, and Mitzpe Ramon, and also fell in Nahariya, Haifa, Ra'anana, and Herzliya.[4] February accounts additionally describe snow in Tiberias and Arad, half-meter accumulations in parts of the Arava, and a roughly 15-minute snowfall in Beersheba.[10] Later February snow closed roads in Jerusalem, the Golan, and the Galilee.[10] High-ground snowfall extended as far south as the hills surrounding Eilat.[15]

Jerusalem's 1992 snowfall was among its heaviest for many years and remained for several days.[15] Snow-laden trees and high winds brought down power lines, leaving 10,000 families without electricity for up to three days.[15] The snow accompanied exceptional rainfall: the Sea of Galilee rose rapidly, authorities prepared to open the Degania Dam, and surface-water reservoirs filled, while flooding damaged infrastructure and farms.[4]

In January 2013, snow spread from the Golan and Galilee to the central and southern mountains, falling on peaks above 700 meters.[16] It first appeared in Jerusalem's higher neighborhoods, including French Hill and Gilo, and some parts of the city had accumulated 20 centimeters by midday on January 10.[16] Snow also reached Judea and Samaria, Dimona, and Mitzpe Ramon; Roads 1 and 443 closed, schools shut in affected areas, and Jerusalem offered free bus and light-rail travel during the emergency.[16]

A second major 2013 event occurred during the December 10–14 cold spell, bringing unusually early heavy snow to the northern and central mountains and lighter snow to the southern highlands.[1][4] Snow began falling at elevations of about 400 meters, and accumulations on the peaks of the Samaria hills reached 80–90 centimeters.[1] Snow also accumulated heavily in Ariel, while ice hazards led police to close the Ayalon Highway and Route 6.[4]

The December storm stranded thousands of people on roads, closed the main routes into Jerusalem, and required rescue operations.[17] Around 2,000 people were rescued from vehicles during one night, and Jerusalem's convention center sheltered 540 people.[18] Forecasts issued before the event had anticipated up to 10 centimeters in Jerusalem and 15–20 centimeters in Hebron and Gush Etzion.[19]

In February 2021, snowfall began in the northern Golan Heights and spread to lower parts of the Golan and the peaks of the Galilee and Samaria.[5] During the most favorable conditions for snow, precipitation clouds were concentrated above the Judean Mountains, helping Jerusalem receive more snow than locations at similar elevations in the Galilee and Samaria.[5]

The January 2022 Alpis storm left about 20 centimeters of snow in Jerusalem before rain and a slight temperature rise melted most of it.[20] On November 19, 2023, a winter storm brought the season's first snow to Mount Hermon, overlooking the Golan Heights, as the season's first winter-like conditions arrived.[21]

Mount Hermon's highest reaches receive more than 1,500 millimeters of precipitation annually, much of it as snow, and snow remains on the ground for several months.[2] Most of the mountain lies in Lebanon, its northeast is in Syria, and its southeast ridge, Ketef ha-Hermon, is within Israeli-held territory.[2] The summit rises above 2,800 meters, and its uppermost terrain is barren, bitterly cold, and often windy; Israeli forces stationed there have prepared for these winter conditions.[22] Snow on the mountain feeds a relatively large number of perennial streams.[3]

The February 2021 event illustrates the differences in snow depth between regions and over short distances.[5] Typical depths in parts of the Golan Heights above 900 meters were 40–55 centimeters, including a 55-centimeter measurement at Kibbutz El Rom.[5] The Upper Galilee generally received 5–15 centimeters, Samaria 5–10 centimeters, Jerusalem and its surroundings 5–15 centimeters, and Gush Etzion and the Hebron mountain peaks 15–25 centimeters.[5]

Within Jerusalem, 12 centimeters were measured in Givat Shaul and French Hill at the event's height.[5] Some Gush Etzion communities received 21–22 centimeters, compared with 5–7 centimeters in Tzur Hadassah and 3–5 centimeters in Mevaseret Zion west of Jerusalem.[5] In Samaria and Binyamin, precipitation did not align well with the coldest temperatures, and reported totals reached up to 10 centimeters at elevations of 750–850 meters.[5]

Jerusalem snowfall statistics distinguish between the city-center measurement station and Atarot Airport, and are organized by rain year rather than calendar year.[8][6] A rain year runs from September through August.[8] In the city-center series covering 1992/93–2015/16, selected totals were five snow days in 1992/93, four in 2002/03, three in 2013/14, four in 2014/15, and one in 2015/16.[6] These counts refer to particular seasons and stations, rather than a uniform citywide or national measure.[6]

During the 2021/22 rainy season, Jerusalem had one day of accumulated snow.[23] The Jerusalem Centre station recorded 520 millimeters of precipitation, close to the preceding three-decade average of 522 millimeters, and 57 rainy days, likewise comparable to the long-term average.[23] Six days had more than 25 millimeters of precipitation.[23] Snow-day counts and accumulated-snow observations therefore sit alongside, but are distinct from, measurements of seasonal precipitation and rainy days.[6][23]

Municipal preparation and transport management are recurring parts of the response to forecast snow. Jerusalem prepared 210 bulldozers and hundreds of tons of salt for road clearing ahead of the January 2022 snowfall.[24] Snow began around 7:30 p.m., schools closed for the following day, and Route 1 was temporarily shut near the capital before reopening after snow and ice were cleared.[24] Public transport later resumed in a reduced format once major routes had been cleared.[20] Closures, clearing operations, and altered transport services also featured in the January 2013 emergency.[16]

Household experiences show how snow can interrupt access as well as transport.[25] In an account of an undated mid-December Jerusalem storm, snow continued through the afternoon and night and was still falling the following morning.[25] Unplowed snow prevented a visiting family from touring on foot, taxis were not running, a road to a hospital had closed, and the household lost power; the family spent four days indoors.[25] The account provides neither a storm year nor a snowfall measurement.[25]

Snow also draws visitors to Jerusalem: thousands traveled by special train to see the snow-covered capital in 1992.[15] The 2022 snowfall brought visitors to places including Gan Sacher before rain and warmer conditions melted most of the accumulation.[20] These visits contrast with the prolonged power outages, property damage, and blocked roads documented during heavier storms.[15][11]

Mountain snow has significance beyond the urban experience: Mount Hermon's snow feeds perennial streams, while its persistent cold, wind, and snow create operational demands for forces deployed at high elevation.[3][22] Elsewhere, snowfall is often brief, with hill-country accumulations generally lasting only hours and some Jerusalem winters passing without snow.[2][7]

Published snowfall totals vary by source and measurement context. For February 1950, Globes reports 70 centimeters in Jerusalem and elsewhere describes about half a meter, whereas Ynet reports 65 centimeters. The same retrospectives date the beginning of meteorological observations differently—1860 in Globes and 1870 in Ynet—so claims that the storm was unprecedented depend partly on the baseline used.[4][1]

Figures for December 2013 also reflect different stages and locations within the storm. Globes reports about 20 centimeters during the first wave, about half a meter during the wider event, and 65–70 centimeters after renewed snowfall; Ynet gives a Jerusalem range of 40–80 centimeters and reports 80–90 centimeters on the peaks of the Samaria hills.[4][1] The sources do not fully reconcile these totals, which should not be treated as a single uniform citywide measurement.