Egypt is bracing for a brutal Khamaseen dust storm, meaning fifty in Arabic, in the final days of April, as the General Authority for Meteorology forecasts severe weather conditions from Tuesday, 29 April, through Sunday, 4 May. The coming days are expected to usher in heavy dust, strong winds, and possible thunderstorms, particularly in the country’s northwestern regions. The Khamaseen storm will bring temperatures soaring to nearly 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, as hot southwesterly winds gusting up to 80 kilometers per hour sweep through, according to the Arab Weather Center. These winds are set to stir up thick clouds of dust, severely affecting air quality and visibility, particularly in Greater Cairo, the Canal cities, the Sinai Peninsula, and the East Coast. As the dust storm moves away by Wednesday, 30 April, night, cooler and more humid northwesterly currents will follow, causing temperatures to drop sharply by as much as 10 degrees Celsius in Cairo, while lingering dust remains a concern in the north. What Are the Khamaseen Dust Storms? Khamaseen dust storm gets its name from the fifty-day period during which the phenomenon typically occurs each spring. These…
