Egypt's government said it is shutting down schools and universities nationwide on Thursday due to “severely unstable” weather conditions as prescribed by meteorologists, the cabinet said on Tuesday.

The measure is meant to facilitate the "taking of all necessary measures and to deal immediately with the repercussions of the unstable weather," the cabinet said in a statement.

Meteorologists predict "very heavy rain" in the capital Cairo, the Nile Delta region and cities along the Mediterranean on Thursday. The bad weather is expected to extend to other parts of the country including the Suez Canal cities, with torrential rains predicted in the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Suez.

Meteorologists also expect dusty winds that could reach sandstorm levels in various parts of the country, and called on citizens to exercise caution.

On Monday, the country's Civil Aviation Authority warned that the bad weather will continue through Saturday, and urged authorities to take necessary measures to limit the negative impacts of the bad weather conditions.