Weather: Strong rains across Israel, floods in the South and snow in the Hermon
Israel saw strong showers overnight and through the morning which led to flooding.
By YUVAL BAGNO/MAARIVUpdated: FEBRUARY 22, 2016 13:57Floods at Ein Ovdat
The winter is back with a vengeance: A strong rainstorm struck Israel overnight and continued into Monday morning with strong downpours from the North to the Negev. It began to snow at Mount Hermon and in the Negev strong flash floods struck. The Hermon is closed due to weather conditions including fierce winds and heavy fog.In the South, Highway 90 was closed to traffic from both directions from Ein Gedi to Ein Bokek. The Israel Police have requested that drivers drive cautiously and adjust their speed to the road conditions.Volunteers of the Har Hanegev rescue unit saved 10 drenched hikers. No one was injured. The commander of the rescue unit Nimrod Ben Aharon said: "When the forecast predicts rain in the area there is no reason to hike in regions that are known to have flash floods."Cars being rescued from Arugot streamAt Arugot Stream, near the Dead Sea, the Ein Gedi rescue team extracted a number of cars that became stuck in the stream.The Water Authority stated that as of yesterday and until the late morning hours 20-30 millimeters (mm) of rain fell in the upper Galilee, and 30-40 mm fell in the center-region southern lowlands. The water level of the Lake Kinneret rose 1.5 centimeters, leaving it at 212.65 meters. Only 3.85 meters remains until the Lake Kinneret is full.