BICOM

Israel’s most treacherous storm in a decade entered a third day this morning, continuing to cause widespread disruption across the country.

On Tuesday, Tel Aviv’s main artery, the Ayalon Highway, was closed for much of the day due to flooding, while the rail system also experienced major disruption and power cuts affected some areas. Dozens of residents were evacuated from their homes in south Tel Aviv due to flooding. As the extreme rain and cold continued to pound Israel, the Israeli Federation of Chambers of Commerce estimated that 15 per cent of the country’s work force stayed at home yesterday while the Israel Farmers’ Association said that storms had caused some £10 million worth of damage to crops.

Military helicopters were used on Tuesday evening to rescue people from their flooded homes in the north of the country, while three people were killed after losing control of their car near Jerusalem. Palestinian sources have reported that four people have died in the West Bank as a result of this week’s storm.

Yesterday evening snow began to fall on Jerusalem, much of the north of the country and even reached the southern Negev town of Dimona. Police closed the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem motorway this morning and schools and kindergartens in Jerusalem have been cancelled for the day. The Jerusalem Municipality said that the city was experiencing its greatest snowfall since 1992.