A severe storm in Alexandria struck early Saturday morning, raising concerns after several scientific studies indicated that the severe weather in the coastal governorate may be a result of climate change – portending further extreme natural phenomena such as flooding by the end of the century.
According to research from the international scientific journal “Weather and Climate Extreme,” published by the international scientific publishing house ScienceDirect, the Alexandria storm could very well occur again.
The lead author of the research, Amira Nasser, a researcher at the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, said that the weather phenomenon that struck the city early Saturday morning represents one of the most striking evidence of accelerating climate change.
“What we witnessed was expected to occur decades later, but has already begun,” she warned.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Nasser explained that the storm was not a hurricane in the conventional sense, but rather the result of the formation of a cumulonimbus cloud cell, resulting in what is scientifically known as a “downburst”- a sudden and powerful surge of cold air from the clouds toward the Earth’s surface.
This led to strong winds, hail, and rain, unprecedented for this time of year and more resembling hurricanes seen in North America. This also explained the intertwined spiderweb lightning streaks seen in the skies over Alexandria.
The researcher stressed that these extreme weather events are no longer as rare as they once were, but are occurring at an accelerating rate.
The future may see more extreme weather
Nasser noted that even the most pessimistic scientists had predicted that such weather events would occur more frequently and more violently by the year 2100, however the likelihood is now closer to 2050 or even at worst 2030.
Coastal areas, especially Alexandria, remain at risk, she warned, although the onset of summer typically mitigates these threats.
The coming years will likely witness increasing extreme weather phenomena, she said, including severe heat waves, which are also a manifestation of climate change.
The researcher addressed the urban development along Alexandria’s coast, emphasizing that the problem lies in construction within highly environmentally hazardous areas, where the land is exposed to continuous erosion and rising sea levels, threatening the buildings located there.
She stressed the importance of studying and implement climate change adaptation measures, such as creating sea barriers and artificial land to absorb the impact of potential disasters, rather than directly endangering real land.
Scientific research that Nasser was involved with predicted a doubling in the number and severity of extreme weather events by mid-century.
What happened in Alexandria may not be the last, she warned, as extreme heat waves contribute to fueling these events, making them more difficult to predict and increasing the urgency of clear proactive plans.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
