VIDEO: Rare snowfall turns Egypt’s Alexandria into Moscow
- 20 Dec 2021
Syed Shayaan Bakht, Gulf Today
Heavy snow, accompanied by thunderstorms, blanketed the coastal city of Alexandria in Egypt on Monday prompting authorities to suspend classes and activities as a precautionary measure.
Local residents said that it is the first snowfall in almost a decade. The foul weather was a result of a spell of bad weather which hit the north of the country.
The Governor of Alexandria, Major General Mohamed Al Sharif, announced rising the degree of preparedness and emergency in the city, with school hours suspended for the second day in a row due to the cold weather.
Photos on social media showed snowfall over Alexandria, partly covering roads and rooftops across the city.
Some people were seen celebrating the rare snowfall.
An Arabic hashtag, #Alexandria, was trending on Monday.
"Alexandria has become like Moscow. Good Winter!” wrote Mina Bader on twitter, referring to the Russian capital known for its icy weather.
Authorities have also closed all ports in the coastal cities.
The Egyptian weather body said moderate to heavy rain is expected on the north coast and Nile Delta region.
The health ministry also called upon the elderly and those with lung and respiratory illnesses to stay at home to avoid climate-related complications.
On the other hand, moderate rain flooded several streets in Cairo on Sunday.
In November, heavy rain and flooding forced scorpions from their hiding places to enter homes in Aswan. Local media reported that three people were dead and over 500 others hospitalised from scorpion stings in Aswan.