Monday rain could reach flash-flood level from El Quseir to Shalatin, forecaster says

Egypt's Meteorological Authority expects thundery rain on Monday that could reach flash-flood level at intervals in El Quseir, Marsa Alam, Ras Banas, Halayeb and Shalatin, alongside central and southern Sinai.

Dr Manar Ghanem of the authority's Forecasting and Early Warning Centre said on Sunday that light to moderate rain, sometimes thundery, is expected over parts of the Red Sea Governorate, Sinai and southern Upper Egypt. She also named Ras Ghareb among the areas where thundery rain could be felt.

She attributed the unsettled spell to the seasonal Sudan low over the south of the country combined with humid air moving in off the Red Sea, and said rain chances over the Red Sea mountain ranges and Sinai continue until Thursday.

Rain had already reached the far south on Sunday. Heavy falls were recorded in El Quseir and on several wadis around Halayeb and Shalatin, among them Wadi Hodein near Shalatin, where rainwater feeds farming land.

The Red Sea Governorate has asked residents to take care in mountainous areas and wadis, to keep away from flood channels and to follow official bulletins. Governor Walid El-Barqi stressed the need to raise readiness and to coordinate between executive departments so that anything affecting roads or people's movement is dealt with immediately, particularly in the valleys where rainwater collects.

The governorate is working to a daily Water Resources Research Institute report covering 24 to 26 October, which flagged rain of varying intensity over the Red Sea mountain chains and the southern and central Eastern Desert.

The authority also expects wind to stir sand and dust over parts of the Red Sea Governorate on Monday, which can cut visibility on the roads, and advised drivers to slow down where visibility drops. It warned of lightning and strong downbursts beneath thunderclouds, and told people to stay out of areas exposed to flash floods.