Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Snow fell in Jerusalem on Thursday for the first time in six years, causing some slippery roads and delaying or canceling classes for schoolchildren.
Several inches of snow fell in the city overnight and officials temporarily closed Route 1 to traffic in both directions.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion met with Ari Kaplan, chairman of the Teachers' Union and decided to delay school openings.
The complications added to restrictions already in place in the city due to the coronavirus pandemic. Officials ultimately allowed some neighborhood schools to open, per the health ministry.
Jerusalem deployed more than 200 snowplows and bulldozers to clear roads around hospitals and neighborhoods at higher elevations.
The rare snow forced other schools to close outright for the day in the Golan Heights region and in Safed in Israel's Northern District. Schools in the West Bank settlements of Elon Moreh, Yitzhar, Itamar, Har Bracha and Migdalim also were closed.
City bus routes were halted in high-elevation sectors of the West Bank and passengers were encouraged to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.
The last time Jerusalem saw any substantial snowfall was January and February in 2015, when more than 10 inches fell on the city and surrounding areas.
