ALTHOUGH the spring, the season of mild and mellow weather, officially began this year on 20 March, it got off to a hot start that is forecast to continue until next week, according to the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.

While poets sing of the beauty of the spring season, in Egypt this year there was very little spring; the weather jumped from cold to hot overnight. According to Manar Ghanem, a member of the media centre at the meteorological authority, in Egypt spring is a transitional season.

The first half of spring carries the characteristics of summer while the second half feels like winter, Ghanem said. “Most sources of air masses are from the desert in the spring which leads to an increase in temperatures during the day and a decrease in temperatures at night, which is why we experience intense heat during the day and chilly weather at night,” Ghanem said.

She said climate changes during the spring are sharp and rapid, while the same day may witness the four seasons. For example, she said, last week Egyptians were surprised by thunder showers at night. This was caused by thunder clouds forming as a result of the intense heat in the morning of that day, Ghanem told Al-Ahram Weekly.

It is very likely that it will happen again in the next few weeks until the spring season ends on 2 June, she added.

Ghanem attributed the current temperatures, which are higher than normal, to El Nino, the natural weather phenomenon which leads to severe climate changes. It is possible, according to Ghanem, that El Nino, which began last summer, will cause a rise in global average temperatures. She added that its effect may continue until next June.

According to Ghanem, the weather will likely continue to be unstable until mid-May or early June due to wind activity causing dust and rain on the Red Sea, in addition to Sudan’s seasonal trough which is sometimes active in the spring and may lead to rain falling on Sinai, the Red Sea mountains, and some governorates in Upper Egypt.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 April, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly