Thundery Rain, Lightning and Strong Winds Forecast for the Red Sea Coast on Friday Evening

Rain of varying intensity, at times thundery, is expected over parts of Red Sea Governorate on Friday 9 October, concentrated in the evening hours, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority said on Thursday.

Dr Manar Ghanem, a forecaster at the authority's Forecasting and Early Warning Centre, said the country would be affected on Friday by a shallow upper-air depression, bringing low cloud that blocks part of the sun and keeping autumnal weather in place across most governorates. Rain chances would be light and at times moderate and thundery, she said, concentrated as Friday evening comes in over central and southern Upper Egypt, central and southern Sinai, and areas of Red Sea Governorate — which she attributed to an extension of the seasonal Sudan low, also known as the Red Sea low.

Two of the warnings in her statement apply directly to this coast:

• Lightning: Ghanem urged particular caution over lightning and thunder strikes in central and southern Sinai, Red Sea Governorate and central and southern Upper Egypt.
• Wind off the thunderclouds: wind activity is forecast across most of the country, and may turn strong beneath thunder clouds because of the air descending from them, raising sand and dust in southern Upper Egypt and parts of the southern Eastern Desert.

She added that the mountainous nature of these areas calls for caution while rain is falling, especially given the wind that can come with thunder clouds.

On temperatures, maxima in the coastal areas are put at 27 to 28°C, against 29 to 30 in Cairo and 38 to 39 in Luxor and Aswan. Nights and early mornings turn cooler, with the gap between day and night temperatures reaching 10 to 12 degrees in some areas. Ghanem also warned of morning mist on agricultural and fast roads near water, sometimes dense enough to cut visibility, and asked drivers to take care.

The statement does not say which Red Sea towns are most likely to see rain, does not give expected rainfall amounts, and mentions no closure of roads, beaches or dive sites. Hurghada News reported a similar push of cloud and rain across the Red Sea and Upper Egypt on 3 October.

For residents and visitors the practical reading is Friday evening rather than Friday daytime: desert and mountain excursions, quad trips and anything on open water are where wind off a thunder cloud and reduced visibility matter most. The authority asked the public to follow its updated bulletins, since conditions can change quickly.