A heavy downpour of hail shocked residents of Cairo, Giza and Helwan, and 6th of October City Thursday, turning streets and lawns into white, sparkly terrain.
Violent showers during the evening also blocked 26th of July Corridor leading to the Mehwar from 6th of October City, with long stretches of asphalt transformed into deep puddles of water. Later in the night there were reports of accidents and severe traffic jams between Johayna Square and 6th of October City. "Cars are literally swimming," said a commuter stuck in the mayhem.
Hail was also observed in Zamalek, while dozens of traffic accidents were reported around the capital, with the worst in the 6th of October City, resulting in 27 injuries.
Traffic came to complete halt in many areas in the capital, with the usual "mini lakes" Cairo swims in with every shower of rain, and drivers desperately trying to find alternative routes. The hail caused jams on the Nile Corniche from Maadi to Garden City in the evening, and parallel bottlenecks in el-Bahr el-Azam Street.
The hail storm comes on the heels of a heat wave that hit the capital, in such an unusual time of the year.
