Snow is seen over Jerusalem, February 18, 2021. REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun

i24 News – Israel began preparing on Tuesday for severe weather, including heavy snowfall, as winter storm Elpis is expected to make landfall.

Heavy snowfall is expected over the northern and central mountains on Wednesday, and snow will likely become rain in the afternoon. Jerusalem will face as much as eight inches of snow, with more expected in northern Israel. Winds may reach 37-50 miles per hour in some areas.

According to the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS), showers and thunderstorms will start in the north and the coast Tuesday night and intensify overnight.

Temperatures are likely to drop to around freezing and stay below average.

Schools in Jerusalem and other locations hit by the storm are expected to close early, while ski resorts in the Golan Heights announced they would be closed Sunday and Monday next week because of the weather conditions.

The winter storm brought havoc to Greece, with rescue crews, including the army, working through the night to evacuate thousands of people stranded in their cars on an Athens motorway.

More than 3,500 people had been evacuated by early Tuesday, some abandoning their cars on foot, but around 1,200 vehicles remained stuck on the Attiki Odos, the capital’s main ring-road, government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said.