Rain Floods Hurghada Streets and Cuts Power for Half an Hour, With Visibility Warnings on the Upper Egypt Roads

Heavy rain with thunder and lightning swept Hurghada on Friday evening, pooling water in streets and squares and knocking out electricity in several districts for about half an hour before supply returned, Egyptian outlets reported.

The rain lasted more than an hour at intensities ranging from moderate to heavy, according to Youm7. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported the downpour fell alongside the power cut and alongside warnings from the Meteorological Authority and the Red Sea Governorate, including a warning of flash floods. Al-Bawabh News reported the governorate declaring an emergency as the storm hit.

The governorate raised readiness across its service sectors — drinking water, sanitation, roads and traffic — and stepped up monitoring through its operations rooms, according to Sada El-Balad. Governor Dr Walid El-Barqi instructed city and district heads and utility officials to monitor conditions on the ground and to put suction vehicles out on Hurghada's main streets and busiest traffic arteries. Youm7 reported that committees were also formed to check the readiness of the town's rain- and flood-protection works.

The Meteorological Authority's warnings, as carried by Sada El-Balad, were specific:

• Low horizontal visibility for drivers on the highways linking Hurghada with the cities of Upper Egypt and with South Sinai
• Keep to posted speed limits and leave safe distances between vehicles
• Stay away from lampposts, metal signage and exposed electrical sources during the storm

The Red Sea drinking water and sanitation company sent vehicles and equipment to the flooded points, having identified staging posts in advance in the areas it expected to fill with water, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported. Its head, Maj. Gen. Bahaa Sayed El-Ahl, said the emergency declaration remains in force and that the company's 24-hour hotline is taking reports from residents. Ahram Gate reported crews still clearing rain damage in El Quseir, the town that lost power earlier in the day, and a round-the-clock watch on youth facilities across the governorate.

Forecasters put the weather down to a surface low over the Mediterranean combining with a low in the upper air, a set-up that builds cumulus cloud capable of dropping heavy rain over limited areas, Sada El-Balad reported. The authority expects the thundery cloud to keep affecting the Red Sea and the south of the country.

As of publication, Hurghada's sub-operations rooms had reported no deaths and no serious material losses, and the governorate asked residents and visitors alike to stay indoors except when necessary while the rain is at its heaviest. No outlet published rainfall totals, and none reported road closures, flight disruption at Hurghada airport or cancelled excursions.