Massive thunderstorms the size of entire countries hit Arab regions, causing hail and flash floods.

Arab Weather - Satellite images in Arab Weather indicate a widespread development of strong and large-scale thunderstorms affecting parts of northwest Africa, where these thunder cells extend over a huge area estimated at about 200,000 square kilometers.

These storms are concentrated mainly over areas of the Maghreb, with a clear impact on parts of central, eastern and northern Algeria, especially the high mountainous areas, where conditions are ripe for the formation of strong thunderclouds that may be accompanied by heavy hail, torrential rain, flash floods and sometimes active gusts of wind.

Some of the effects of this weather system also extend towards parts of northern Tunisia, as well as mountainous areas of Morocco, amid clear activity of cumulonimbus clouds.

According to estimates derived from weather monitoring images, the current area of thunderstorm activity is roughly equal to or exceeds the area of a number of Arab countries, such as Lebanon, Bahrain, and Qatar, reflecting the extent of this weather system and the strength of its horizontal spread.

Although these storms are widely distributed, their intensity is usually localized and vertically violent within the thunderstorm cells, which explains the possibility of sudden heavy rainfall during short periods in some areas but not others.

The development of this situation is expected to continue to be monitored over the coming hours, with the possibility of renewed thunderstorm activity as the factors of atmospheric instability continue to be present.