Heavy snow fall covered Jerusalem on Friday, March 2 for the first time in four years. Three centimeters of snow were reported, turning parts of Israel's capital white and also blanketing Ramot, Givat Ze'ev and Har Gilo. Snow also fell in the Golan Heights, a hilly region that borders with Syria.

Jeruselam's city government had been preparing for the rare winter weather for several days and quickly mobilized to clear the city streets. Classes were cancelled in Golan and the area around Safad because of the snow and residents of the historically mystical Jewish town were asked not to drive by the government.

Cold, stormy weather hit the region as early as Tuesday, and Friday is expected to be the coldest day 2012 for Israel. The weather claimed one victim, a 96-year old woman living in Sderot died as an ambulance carried her to a hospital after she slipped on an icy road. A girl was also injured after being swept away by a stream that overflowed and flooded in Modi'in Ilit.

A large tree was uprooted by powerful winds on Tel Aviv's King George Street, disrupting traffic, cutting off power lines, ripping a bench from its moorings on the ground and blocking the street. Traffic lights and signs were also blown down in the city, which did not get any snow, and in the south of Tel Aviv the city erected a new tent to provide shelter for the homeless.

Lake Kinneret in Northern Israel rose three centimeters over the past few days, and pollution levels in the South were higher that user usual, likely because more energy was used to heat home during the cold snap.

Twitter reactions:

@HowardMortman: Video of today's snow in Jerusalem (and you don't need to know Hebrew to understand honking horns) http://youtu.be/eyXd3U39RpM cc: @daroff

@MOgulnick: And I thought Jerusalem couldn't be any more beautiful! - 43 Beautiful Photos Of The Freak Snow Storm In Jerusalem http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/its-snowing-in-jerusalemsnow...

@MissyPoem: Snow in Jerusalem #Israel

@RISatHUJI: Can you believe it? There's more snow in #Jerusalem right now than in #NYC http://ow.ly/9pEPk via @israelconsulate

@IsraelinUSA: We love our sunny beaches, but also welcome a little snow // Snow in #Jerusalem for the 1st time in 4 years

@/avitalrachel: Snowstorm in Mea Shaarim neighborhood of Jerusalem this morning. http://pic.twitter.com/90YXsRFr

@communiquaction: 43 Beautiful Photos Of The Freak Snow Storm In Jerusalem http://goo.gl/fb/n5nSh #marques

@MotherNatureNet: Photos: Snow blankets the Holy Land http://bit.ly/xMRaBE Jerusalem hasn't seen significant snowfall in four years!

@bffy: #Jerusalem Fun n the #Snow photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/...

@myraao: @LukeRussert the snow is now in Jerusalem. Who says climate change is false?

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