Jerusalem –  Wednesday, Israelis were given the delightful gift of snow, hail, and heavy rains.

Snow flurries flitted into streets in Jerusalem and mountainous areas around the capital, as a fast-moving winter storm blew through Israel on Wednesday night.

The snowfall in Jerusalem was the first in several years, thanks to a system from Siberia dipping into the region. By Thursday, it was expected to have cleared out.

People in the snow in central Jerusalem, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

People in the snow in central Jerusalem, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

People in the snow in central Jerusalem, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

Ultra Orthodox Jewish man seen praying at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on a snowy winter night. January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

Ultra Orthodox Jewish man seen praying at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on a snowy winter night. January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

Ultra Orthodox Jewish man seen praying at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on a snowy winter night. January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

Ultra Orthodox Jewish man dance at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on a snowy winter night. January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

A man walks with an umbrella as snow falls in the Old Katamon neighborhood in Jerusalem, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

Israeli soldiers guard in the snow at the Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

Israeli soldiers guard in the snow at the Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

A man stands in the snow at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem Old City, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)

A man stands in the snow in Damascus Gate in Jerusalem Old City, on January 16, 2019. (Credit: Flash90)