Egypt witnessed a day full of tumultuous conditions Saturday as it started with sandstorms that covered the north of the country, then a sudden spike in the temperature and finally an earthquake that was felt in Cairo.
The earthquake measured 5.2 on the Richter scale, according to the American Geological Survey and the epicenter was 4 kilometers southeast of the town of Nuweiba in the Sinai Peninsula, according to the Associated Press .
Deputy head of the Egyptian National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics Abo El-Eila Amin said that the earthquake hit at 5:34 p.m. local time and lasted for several seconds. He said the epicenter was 11 kilometers below sea level, according to Ahram Online .
The earthquake shook buildings not just in Sinai, but all across Egypt including Cairo. Tremors were also felt in the Gaza Strip, the Gush Dan area in central Israel, Jerusalem, the Negev area and Eilat, reported the Times of Israel .
In addition, Associated Press reported that the tremor shook loose clouds of dust which were enveloping nearby mountains in Sinai's Dahab (68 kilometers south of the epicenter of the quake), according to a witness. However, the Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement that no casualties or injuries were reported.
On the other hand, the sandstorms that started the day caused airports in the coastal cities of Alexandria and Matrouh to be closed due to low visibiliy, reported MENA. Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said in a statement that all flights expected to land in Alexandria and in Matrouh were diverted to Cairo as visibility went down to less than 500 meters at Alexandria's Burg Al-Arab Airport and at Matrouh Airport.
Thick yellow clouds and abnormally high temperatures suffocated Cairo as residents blasted their air conditioners, avoided leaving their houses unless necessary, and used social media to make light of the strange happenings of the day. Some even made references to the 10 Biblical plagues and joked about which one would strike next.
These hellish weather conditions are quite similar to a recent sandstorm accompanied by a heatwave that hit Egypt exactly one month before Saturday. Perhaps Egyptians need to get used to these apparently monthly occurrences.