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South Lebanon bore the brunt of Wednesday's deluge of rainfall, which is expected to level off Thursday.

While heavy rain slowed traffic and caused flooding throughout the country, the ports of Tyre and Sidon were closed to maritime activities, as fishermen stayed home.

The head of the fishermen's union, Khalil Taha, urged the agriculture minister to look into the situation of fishermen, who are complaining of inadequate government responses to calls for social assistance and benefits.

Tyre, which is undergoing extensive public works as part of a city-wide development plan, experienced flooded streets and major traffic congestion, as police and municipal officials sprung into action to clear the situation.

South of Tyre, one person was in critical condition after a car accident blamed on the heavy weather. Abbas Musa Aqil and his brother Muslim were driving a vehicle that slammed into an electricity pole during the storm. The National News Agency said both underwent surgery at a local hospital, and that one of them remained in critical condition.

In Sidon, the municipality ordered emergency crews to take action after the heavy rain caused flooding in areas near the coast, compounded by sewage networks that were overflowing.

People were trapped in their homes, and the municipality announced that the amount of rainfall had exceeded the capacity of the city's sewage network.

Residents complained that the problem is repeated every year, and urged local officials and government ministries to intervene and provide a durable solution to the problem.

The city's port was also closed to maritime activity, and the municipality opened a hot line for citizens to report flooding damage and related problems.

Further south, the Hasbani region reported heavy damage to greenhouse agriculture and specifically tomato and cucumber crops, as high winds wrecked the structures.

Farmers in the area said the Hasbani River had overflowed and destroyed a number of irrigation canals that feed orchards, with damage reported to orange and other citrus crops. The rains caused havoc in the Khansa, Sardeh and Ain Arab valleys, with farmers reporting substantial crop damage.

Snowdrifts of up to 50 centimeters were reported on Mount Hermon, covering Israeli military positions in the area, as well as the nearby entrance to the Shebaa Farms. UNIFIL bases in the Arqoub hills were also covered with snow Wednesday morning.

Despite the heavy precipitation, the year's total rainfall remains far below the annual average. A total of 766 millimeters of rain was recorded in 2009-10, while the current season's figure is just above 400 millimeters.

The Meteorological service at Rafik Hariri Airport reported that snow fell at 1,400 meters Wednesday.

Thursday is expected to see rainfall in the early morning hours, clearing by mid-day, with foggy weather in mountainous areas. The temperature in the Cedars will dip to minus 2 degrees Centigrade overnight, and rise to a high of 4 degrees during the day.