Intense Storm Hits Egypt’s Alexandria

(MENAFN) The coastal city of Alexandria in northern Egypt experienced an abrupt onslaught of extreme weather conditions on Saturday.

The violent storm, marked by powerful gusts, intense thunderstorms, and hail showers, led local officials to announce a state of emergency and postpone school examinations.

In a formal announcement, the Alexandria Governorate noted extensive disturbances throughout the city.

The storm uprooted trees, damaged street infrastructure, and caused flooding on several major roads. Response units were dispatched to clear debris and pump out water in an effort to reestablish routine operations.

Clips shared across social media platforms revealed inundated streets, flashes of lightning, fallen power lines, wrecked cars, and heavy rain, sparking alarm among the population.

Mahmoud Shaheen, the head of forecasting and early warning at Egypt’s Meteorological Authority, linked the event to a low-pressure weather system that led to a drop in temperatures and generated low-lying thunderclouds.

He called it a rapidly advancing storm front, while dismissing any connection to destructive cyclones.

According to Shaheen, such meteorological events are customary during winter and spring, but the severity of this particular storm was intensified by sudden downward airflows and clouds forming at lower elevations.

Governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed instructed all municipal departments to remain on maximum alert and told public transport agencies to boost bus operations to support students heading to exam centers.

To ensure student safety and give emergency workers time to remove hazards, he also rescheduled middle school exams by delaying them one hour.

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