Snow in Cairo for the first time in 112 years

Al Gore must be there.  Gaia often thumbs its nose at him

WHEN you think Cairo you think heat and sand.  But something unusual happened there overnight - it snowed!  According to local reports it's the first time snow has fallen in the Egyptian capital in 112 years.

Incredible pictures show the normally sweltering city coated in white.  Egyptians took to Twitter to post their amazement in words and pictures.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority warned on Wednesday the unusual weather will drive down temperatures to between 5 and 15 Celsius.

Snow was reported on Mt. Sinai and Saint Catherine's monastery at the base of the mountain.

A powerful winter storm is affecting parts of the Middle East.

Sections of Israel saw heavy snow up to about a metre.  Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told The Times of Israel, "We're facing a rare storm the likes of which we've never seen."  The local meteorological agency said it was the worst snowstorm seen since at least 1953.

The Holy City was closed to traffic and the nation's military was called out to rescue some 1500 people stranded in vehicles.

Highways and roads to Tel Aviv, the Golan Heights and other locales were reportedly closed.  Ben-Gurion International Airport was forced to close for a period due to the snow and limited visibilities.

Other countries including Turkey and Syria also experienced widespread snow.

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Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).