experts say the storm produced as much snow and rainfall as the average precipitation totals for all winter long.
The storm affected life in many cities, from Gaza to Istanbul. It also
worsened the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and the one million other Syrians displaced from their homes by almost two years of conflict.
As much as 15 centimeters of snow fell in cities like Jerusalem, Ramallah, Amman and Damascus. As much as 30 centimeters of snow covered rural areas of Jordan and northern Israel. Officials there closed public transportation,
schools, and government offices because of the snow. Many businesses did not open because their workers could not get to work.
But the news was not all bad. Some people enjoyed the snowfall. Israeli President Shimon Peres went outside and placed a hat on a snowman.
“It is so rare, so beautiful, so unifying. Whatever happens in Jerusalem is a blessing. This time it’s a blessing in white.”
Snow is a subject of great interest to weather experts. They sometimes have difficulty estimating where, when or how much snow will fall. One reason is that heavy amounts of snow fall in surprisingly small areas. Another reason is that a small change in temperature can mean the difference between snow and rain.
Just what is snow, anyway? Snow is a form of frozen water. It contains groups of ice particles called snow crystals. These crystals grow from water droplets in cold clouds. They usually grow around dust particles.
All snow crystals have six sides, but they grow in different shapes. The shape depends mainly on the temperature and water levels in the air.
Snow crystals grow in one of two designs: plate-like and columnar.
Plate-like crystals are flat. They form when the air temperature is about 15 degrees below zero Celsius. Columnar snow crystals look like sticks of ice. They form when the temperature is about five degrees below zero.
The shape of a snow crystal may change from one form to another as the crystal passes through levels of air with different temperatures. When melting snow-crystals or raindrops fall through very cold air, they freeze to form small particles of ice, called sleet. Groups of frozen water-droplets are called snow pellets. Under some conditions, these particles may grow larger and form solid pieces of ice, or hail. Hail can be dangerous to people, animals and property.