What a difference a few days makes. At the beginning of the week, we were still enjoying sweater weather in Israel, with unusually warm temperatures in January and February.

But Wednesday truly ushered in winter – cold wind, heavy rain, and in many places even snow.

While all this precipitation has led to some dangerous flooding conditions, closed roads and suspended public transportation in many parts of Israel, the white stuff is a welcome distraction for the many kids and adults who’ve been stuck at home for the better part of a year.

Here are some images from around Israel, starting with a video of snow falling in the Old City of Jerusalem.

A snowy view of the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, on February 18, 2021. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Snow falling in Jerusalem’s Old City. Photo by Efraim Yaakov Sanchez

The snow covered Mount of Olives with Jerusalem’s Old City in the background, on February 18, 2021. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90

People seen in downtown Jerusalem during a snow storm on February 17, 2021. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

This snowman (snowbear?) is fully outfitted with a kippah and PPE in Jerusalem’s Sacher Park, February 18, 2021. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

The snow covered Yemin Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem, on February 18, 2021. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90

Heavy snow in the Northern Israeli Druze town of Buq’ata, February 17, 2021. Photo by Maor Kinsbursky/Flash90

People play in the snow in the Golan Heights, Northern Israel. February 18, 2021. Photo by Michael Giladi/ Flash 90

Hitching a ride in snowy Safed, February 17, 2021. Photo by David Cohen/Flash90