Hurricane? What hurricane? Ominous warnings of epic Egypt storm fail to materialise

Thunderstorms, flooding and material damage were predicted on the country’s Mediterranean coastline

Egypt’s inflation rate slowed to its lowest level in more than nine years, according to the state statistics agency, Capmas. AFP

For two days, authorities have issued ominous warnings that a hurricane-like storm will hit the country’s Mediterranean coastline, predicting thunderstorms, flooding and possible material damage.

Residents of those areas, they said, should stay home for their safety. Those living in adjacent areas, they continued, must avoid walking beneath advertising billboards or balconies of old buildings.

Fortunately, things did not quite turn out that way.

The acting head of the meteorological bureau, Ashraf Saber, said reports of the alleged hurricane were erroneous or at least exaggerated. All that was coming Egypt’s way, he explained, was a “low pressure” weather event that his office called “Hamadah” – a popular nickname in Egypt given to males named Ahmed or Mohammed.

“We in the meteorological bureau christened that low pressure weather area Hamadah because it’s routine and we get it in Egypt every year,” said Mr Saber.

“Hamadah,” however, proved to be a storm to be reckoned with.

Heavy rainfall in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and other coastal areas to the east and all the way to northern Sinai caused widespread flooding and cut off some roads.

Last week, a heavy downpour in Cairo and a string of other cities across the country caused widespread chaos, delaying flights from Cairo airport, flooding one terminal under renovation and grinding the capital’s usually heavy traffic to a halt.

Cairo received intermittent rain on Friday and Saturday, but not the downpour or the gale force wind that had been expected.

Security officials, meanwhile, said on Saturday that at least 16 people have been killed nationwide in rain-related accidents, mostly electrocutions, since Tuesday, up from 11 reported on Thursday.