Jordan, Israel Blanketed by Heavy Snow
A blizzard swept this desert kingdom Tuesday, blocking roads with more than a foot of snow and causing scores of traffic accidents.
The Amman airport was closed because of blocked runways, and schools were shut down.
The storm left up to 15 inches of snow in Amman, where police reported 121 traffic accidents. Dozens of power failures were reported in the city.
In neighboring Israel, at least 6 inches of snow blanketed Jerusalem--the second snowfall of the winter in the Holy City. Snow also fell in northern Israel.
In Jerusalem, schools and most offices and shops were closed. Jerusalem’s Israel Museum removed some valuable paintings, including works by Picasso and Degas, because of leaks in the roof.
In the Golan Heights, a reservoir dam failed, causing almost the entire contents to cascade down the hill into Syria.
The reservoir supplied Israeli farmers on the strategic Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War.
Heavy snow also fell in southeast Turkey, and northern Egypt counted the cost of its worst sandstorm for 15 years, with newspapers reporting 14 deaths.
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