BEIRUT: Heavy snowfall caused road closures in the country’s north and south Sunday and Monday, but experts predict that snow will not fall again until Friday.

The National News Agency reported that security forces blocked incoming traffic to Faraya Sunday in order to allow drivers to leave the area. Civil Defense bulldozers and workers from the Defense Ministry were called in to help facilitate the flow of traffic.

In Kesrouan, hundreds of cars were stuck in traffic because of the snow Sunday evening.

In the town of Kfar Zebian, traffic was stopped for some 5 kilometers.

In the south, snow fell Sunday night and early Monday morning, covering mountain areas in the eastern south. The Al-Nashra news website reported that snow surrounded the bases of some UNIFIL forces in Jabal al-Sheikh. It also reported that the road connecting the Shebaa Farms and the Bekaa Valley was blocked.

According to the Meteorogical Department at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, Sunday was cloudy with heavy rain starting in the afternoon, and later thunderstorms. Snow fell at heights of 1,200 meters above sea level and higher and winds reached speeds of 80 kilometers per hour. In the Cedars, 25 centimeters of snow fell.

Tuesday is expected to be partly cloudy, with temperatures remaining low. The department warned of possible ice on mountain roads, and predicted temperatures on the coast ranging from 7 to 18 degrees Celsius.

In the mountains, temperatures will range from -1 to 19 degrees, 2 to 11 degrees in the Bekaa Valley, and -3 to 3 degrees in the Cedars. Winds from the southwest could reach up to 75 kilometers per hour.

The Metereological Department told The Daily Star that there would be some clouds Wednesday accompanied by a slight increase in temperature, but there will not be any snow this week until Friday, when rain and snow storms are expected.