BEIRUT —  Three Syrian refugee children were killed when their tent caught fire Thursday, after an apparent electrical short caused by the severe weather.

Storm “Windy” has brought high winds, thunderstorms and heavy snow, flooding rivers and fields and blocking mountain roads. Officials have announced that schools will be closed Friday. 

Rawaa, Talal and Sabah Sleiman were killed after their tent in the northern Minyeh-Dinnieh district town of Bhenin caught fire. Their bodies were transferred to the nearby Al-Khair hospital in Minyeh.

Many refugees survive in inadequate shelters and camps are concentrated at higher altitudes across northern and eastern Lebanon, often in exposed fields, making them more vulnerable to inclement weather. Six Syrian refugees, including two newborns, have reportedly been killed by the cold this winter.

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab announced Thursday that schools would be closed Friday and Saturday due to the storm. Health Minister Wael Abu Faour added that nurseries would also be shut.

After hail fell in coastal cities including Beirut and Tripoli, the Meteorological Department at Beirut’s International Airport said it expected that “Windy” would continue to hammer the country Friday before slowly subsiding Saturday.

Friday is expected to be cloudy and extremely cold, with snow falling as low as 300 meters in the morning. Snowfall will increase gradually during the day and the department has warned of ice forming on the roads that could make driving treacherous.

Despite the bleak forecast, aid agencies and government ministers have said they are prepared to deal with the inclement weather.