Parts of the Middle East were treated to an unusual sight on Tuesday as snow blanketed areas from Turkey to Israel.
Much colder-than-average air pushed into the region associated with an unusually sharp dip in the jet stream this week, bringing a storm with strong winds and in some locations, snowfall. For an area that doesn't often see widespread snowfall, the past two winters have seen significant storms blanket the Middle East.
In December 2013, a storm slammed parts of Syria, Jordan and Israel, dumping record snowfall on the area.
While Tuesday's storm turned the landscape into a winter wonderland in some locations, transportation ground to a halt in several cities across Turkey as a result of the weather. Turkish Airlines was forced to cancel several domestic flights.
تعمل #قوى_الأمن على إغاثة ومساعدة المواطنين الذين انزلقت سياراتهم على طرقات مراكز التزلج كفردبيان #شتي_يا_دنيي pic.twitter.com/OTwcvK4tRt— قوى الامن الداخلي (@LebISF) January 6, 2015
In the hilly capital city of Ankara, school buses struggled to move on the snowy streets according to local reports.
I'm at ARYA NUANS RESİDANCE in ANKARA https://t.co/Nhf46Aw8Oj pic.twitter.com/dZMxM3DaSa— emredepeli (@emredepeli) January 6, 2015
Parts of Lebanon were also blanketed with snow. Take a look at the Roman ruins in Faqra, Lebanon, below:
Zina is in town Archeological site of Faqra pic.twitter.com/eI0Wc52w8e— linafakhoury (@lina_fakhoury) January 6, 2015
Meanwhile, portions of Israel were bracing for the storm. Israel's Meteorological Service predicted snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, with blizzard conditions expected to impact Jerusalem; major highways leading into Jerusalem were also closed in preparation for the storm. A large snowstorm last winter left portions of Jerusalem without power for days, so residents were stocking up on supplies Tuesday ahead of the bad weather.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that the country was prepared to deal with the storm, but asked residents to "just keep an eye on neighbors and help."
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