Lebanon declared on Tuesday that all public and private schools would be shut a day later due to a major snowstorm that started to grip the country tonight. Minister of Education Hassan Diab, in an official statement, ordered the closure of schools as part of extraordinary precautions to cope with the effects of storm 'Alexa'. The minister indicated that mounting snow and rain might cause various problems, such as roads' blocking and intolerable traffic jams, thus authorities have opted to ensure students stay home on safety concerns. Authorities have taken a series of special measures to alleviate the effects of the stormy weather and have urged citizens through SMS messages to abide by security directions, particularly in mountainous regions. Alexa, which started whipping the Mediterranean country tonight with heavy rain and cold winds, was forecast to pick up in strength over the coming days and proceed until the weekend. Snow is expected to fall at low altitudes, as low as 500 meters above sea level, amid a record drop of temperature. A recent storm that hit Lebanon caused extensive damage, namely in roads and properties, and revealed the malfunction of some utilities and infrastructure systems, namely sewage networks