Major general Essam Khedr announced the closure of Sharm El-Shiekh’s harbour on Sunday due to poor weather conditions, with high winds causing problems for ships.

He also said several towns in South Sinai have been flooded by heavy rainfall, adding to a list of locations hit by flooding across Egypt.

Ahmed Abdel-Hady, spokesperson for the subway authority, said heavy rains on Sunday caused a technical breakdown on the metro between Thakanat El-Maadi station and Dar El-Salam. The break in services lasted 90 minutes, he said.

Metro stations were packed with commuters delayed due to the breakdown, but the congestion later began to clear.

In Assiut governorate, the Ministry of Education announced the suspension of the evening shift in all schools due to the heavy rain.

Meanwhile, the Giza governorate has provided around 44 water-suction cars to deal with flooding at bridges, tunnels and major streets.

Fog, heavy rain and cold temperatures in the Minya governorate combined to cause a major traffic jam. High winds also caused major congestion on the Cairo-Aswan Agricultural Road.

Further, Nile ferry movements stopped due to sand storms, which cut visibility for river captains.