Israeli Media Snow Jerusalem Blizzard

They were calling it #IsraelBlizzard.

Jerusalem, Israel, was prepared for #WhiteJerusalem.

Schools were closed, meetings cancelled,

everyone was ready.

We were braced for power to go out,

just hoping for less time than the full week last year.

image hail storm knesset

First, there were hail and fog, with very strong winds.

photo hail stones on ground

Hail stones fell after loud thunder and lightning.

photo snow on roof tops Jerusalem Israel winter storm

Snow covered roof tops quickly,

#whiteJerusalem

and was sticking to cars and roads.

And then,

after ten minutes,

image Knesset in snow

it stopped and a slight powder of snow

that could be seen on the Knesset grounds.

All day we waited for more,

#WhiteJerusalem

by night fall the streets were quiet.

image snow in Jerusalem

 at bed time this was the best snow photo of the day.

No blizzard.

It felt like those old days in the DC area,

where the government and schools shut for snowy weather

that made every Northerner and Canadian laugh

and go into the details of their memories of a real blizzard.

image snow on ground outside Knesset

In the morning the Knesset had a thin cover of white,

and no serious accumulation of snow.

#WhiteJerusalem still might come over the weekend.

thermometer low house temp

It is cold though, this indoor thermometer,

 read 50 degrees first thing this morning,

so the temperature has been rising.

Outside,

image bad weather

it is another grey, wet, sleet and slippery day.

After a late school opening,

the kids are out of the house,

making the parents very happy.

#WhiteJerusalem was not an #IsraelBlizzard,

even with that loud thunder all day.

Hard to believe that only four days ago,

there were those rainbow colored flowers,

Stormy Weather in Jerusalem

I thought you would never believe it, if you did not see it for yourself.

Finally, there is something that everyone in Jerusalem, Israel,

can agree on – this is really stormy weather

and trying to stay dry is most important today.

Often winter weather gets stormy and foggy,

wind in Jerusalem photo

with grey skies like these.

stotm Jerusalem, wind photo

This kind of grey weather does not make for pretty photos,

DSC_0648e

though maybe interesting ones of trees were blowing sideways.

When the fog comes in, 

stormy weather Jerusalem

the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Chord Bridge disappear from view.

Just before this wind storm and rain started,

I marveled at how beautiful the stars were last night in a perfectly clear sky.

I knew I would be sorry for not taking a photo of the planetarium overhead. 

DSC_0642e

On a such stormy day like this,

it seems the Israeli flag over the Knesset is about the only thing looking good,

hot drink photo

besides a nice hot drink.

Now as long as the power stays on…

and if it gets cold enough for snow… 

everyone loves to see Jerusalem, Israel, covered in white,

and those photos will be much prettier than these.

The sun just came out for a few minutes, 

Knesset building

but that does not mean the weather is clearing so fast.

Now it looks like the Crowne Plaza was Photoshopped out,

time to get a hot drink.

Rain in Israel – Did you Hear?

Yes, it’s raining in Israel and we pray for rain this time of year.

But hello world,

it is raining rockets in southern Israel!

110 rockets were fired since Sunday from Gaza at 1,000,000 people.

One landed on the beach in Ashkelon, another in a child’s bedroom.

Children could not go to school, as it was “rocket day” again.

It is also raining in Jerusalem, Israel,

Jerusalem streets flooded water

 but the kind of rain that fills the streets with rushing water

Bell Park, J Streets, Jerusalem photography tour

and empties the parks.

Jerusalem photography tour, Bell Park

In spite of the weather, in Gan Hapa’amon, the Liberty Bell Park, 

these two men were fixing a mangal, BBQ, to grill their lunch. 

bike in rain

Bikers covered their backpacks

rain hat, Jerusalem photography tour

 and men covered their hats.

sharing an umbrella, Jerusalem photography tour, J Street

When the wind was not blowing, an umbrella was good protection.

Israeli flag, Jerusalem photography tour

The weather kept flags flying,

traffic in rain, J Streets, Jerusalem photo tours

but made it hard for people to drive.

Jerusalem rain, J Street, Jerusalem photos

Traffic was slow and sidewalks were slippery.

protester, Jerusalem photography tour

However, no matter what the weather, there is always something to protest

flowers , Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem photography tour

and something unusual to photograph.

steps flooded with water, Jerusalem photography tours

These flooded steps were dangerous,

flowers ,Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem tour photography

but the flowers near them were gorgeous.

November 11 was also Veteran’s Day in the US, 

a special time to remember those who served in past wars.

Please, know and remember,

today there are 1,000,000 civilians in southern Israel

who have to sleep in bomb shelters and run for shelter from missiles.

rockets Sderot,

It is time to #StopTheRockets!

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