BEIRUT: Snowfall returned to Lebanon’s higher areas Thursday, reblocking many roads and claiming another victim since the beginning of the storm “Zina.”
Syrian refugee Rama Tahrani passed away overnight Thursday after freezing to death in her unheated tent in the Bekaa Valley. Tahrani, 48, was living in a poorly equipped camp in Baalbek when the temperatures dropped to minus 2 degrees Celsius overnight.
Tahrani’s two young daughters, who survived the cold, were taken in by a Lebanese family, security sources told The Daily Star.
The low temperatures are a result of cold winds coming from the eastern basin of the Mediterranean and will continue until Saturday, according to the Meteorological Department at the Rafik Hariri International Airport’s daily weather forecast.
The resumption of snow and rain across Lebanon came after two relatively sunny days allowed most impassable roads to reopen and the country to get back onto its feet after being battered by a weeklong storm. Zina saw snow falling at areas as low as 500 meters above sea level and temperatures dropping below zero in much of the country.
Tahrani is just the latest victim of cold weather in Lebanon; three Syrians died last week on the outskirts of the Shebaa Farms as they were caught in the storm while trying to cross into Lebanon.
A rise in temperatures is expected Friday, with some clouds and sporadic showers accompanied by occasional thunder and lightning, the department said. “The altitude at which snow will fall will increase with the increase in temperatures,” read the bulletin.
Friday’s temperatures will range between 5 and 19 degrees Celsius along the coast, 1 and 10 degrees in the mountains, minus 1 and 11 in the Bekaa Valley and minus 5 and 5 in the Cedars.
The weather for Saturday is set to be “partially cloudy as temperatures remain stable,” according to the forecast. “Morning rain will fall and there is a danger of layers of ice forming in the mountains and the Bekaa Valley. The weather will improve gradually during the day.”
Temperatures for Saturday will be similar to Friday.
The Internal Security Forces released a statement Thursday night reminding citizens of the need to drive extra carefully and warning them of the dangers of black ice on the roads.
A number of roads were blocked in the mountains and in the eastern Bekaa Valley early Thursday.
The main Beirut-Damascus highway via Dahr al-Baidar that connects the Bekaa Valley with the capital and Mount Lebanon was accessible only to four-wheel-drives and vehicles with snow chains, the ISF said in a statement.
In southeast Lebanon, roads leading to the villages of Shebaa and Rashaya, which were completely cut off during last week’s snowstorm, were also accessible only to four-wheel-drives.
The ISF released a list of the blocked and partially accessible roads as of Thursday night on their official Twitter account.
Roads or towns that are only reachable by four-wheel-drives and cars equipped with snow chains include: Faraya-Wardet Kafardebian Square, Aqoura, Btagreen, Ehmej-Laqlouq-Anaya-Mechmouch, Ehden, Dahr al-Baidar and Mechmech-Fneydeq-Qamouaa.
Blocked roads include: Kfarselwan-Tarshish-Zahle, Ayoun al-Siman-Hadath Baalbek, Al-Mnaitra-Hadath Baalbek, Hadath Baalbek-Afqa, Sannine-Zahle, Maaser Chouf-Kefraya, Zahle-Dhour Chouir, Aynata-Arz, Tannourine-Laqlouq, Tannourine-Hadath Jebah, Hermel-Sir al-Dinnieh, and Hermel-Qoubeiat.
Separately, citizens in the northern district of Akkar denounced the delay in fixing the electricity problem following “Zina,” the National News Agency reported. Last week’s storm caused power outages in many areas of Lebanon.
The citizens called on Energy Minister Arthur Nazarian to quickly fix the damage, saying there was an urgent need for electricity in such bad weather, especially given that many villages don’t have generators.
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