Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Forensics
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Flash floods kill 2 in New Jersey, strand subway riders in NYC Chevron right
Tropical rainstorm soaks Florida, could strengthen in Gulf before targeting Louisiana Chevron right

Columbus, OH

82°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

82°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Forensics

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars
Air Quality Alert

News / Severe Weather

Man describes scorpion attack triggered by violent storms

Explosive thunderstorms in Egypt made worldwide headlines this week not only for the extensive damage they caused but due to hundreds of people being sent to hospitals after being stung by scorpions drawn out by heavy rains.

By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Nov 15, 2021 12:26 PM EDT | Updated Nov 18, 2021 3:16 PM EDT

Copied

The severe thunderstorms that hit Aswan, Egypt, on Nov. 12, not only displaced over 300 people but also flushed swarms of scorpions from their underground burrows.

Severe thunderstorms that rolled across southern Egypt this past Friday unleashed flooding, strong winds, hail and hordes of venomous scorpions.

The storms caused damage across the region primarily due to flooding, but the most notable impact came when the pouring rain drove the poisonous scorpions out of their burrows and into homes. According to reports, the scorpions went on a stinging spree, which resulted in more than 500 people being sent to hospitals for treatment.

Local news outlets in Egypt reported three deaths, but none were blamed on the scorpions, The Associated Press reported, citing Egypt's Acting Health Minister Khalid Abdel-Ghafar. Those who were stung were treated with anti-venom doses and eventually discharged.

Mohamed Hamdy Boshta holds a scorpion, one of many that he hunts on Egyptian deserts and shores to extract their prized venom for medicinal use, at his company Cairo Venom on Dec. 6, 2020. Raging storms in Egypt Friday flushed out hundreds of scorpions from their hiding places. The one above is among 24 types of scorpions that live in North Africa, according to experts. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

Health officials have even had to call in doctors who were on vacation to help treat the influx of patients, according to NPR.

Northern Africa is home to the Egyptian fat-tailed scorpion, which is considered to be one of the most poisonous scorpions in the world, according to the Saint Louis Zoo.

Thunderstorms first struck the southern city of Aswan, located near the Nile River, around 11 p.m. local time Friday with strong wind gusts, torrential downpours and hail. Strong winds also produced blowing dust as the storms rolled through and reduced visibility to near zero. 

The city of Aswan was badly impacted by severe thunderstorms on Friday night.

While only 0.04 of an inch (about 1 mm) of rain was reported at the Aswan's weather observation site, heavier rain likely fell in other parts of the city due to the isolated nature of these thunderstorms, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.

Video taken during the storms captured their ferocity as footage showed vivid lightning and wind-swept, driving rain that soaked the ground.

The thunderstorms in Aswan flooded streets and also toppled trees and power lines which led to power outages, according to Egypt Independent. The city of Aswan spent the night in the dark after the storm knocked out a power supply station.

#Egypt : Health official in Aswan has told BBC that the heavy thunder & hail storm there washed scorpions into the streets & people’s homes - causing 400 people to be stung - in the rains scorpions seek refuge anywhere they can… #أسوان #مِصر
pic.twitter.com/zGbWzTNMQn

— sebastian usher (@sebusher) November 13, 2021

“Low pressure moving across Egypt late Friday and Friday night triggered the thunderstorms around Aswan. This low went on to also produce isolated thunderstorms in far northeastern Egypt, southern Israel and northeastern Saudi Arabia into southern Jordan this past weekend,” said Nicholls. 

Due to the lack of weather systems tracking through the region and minimal amount of moisture, thunderstorms of this magnitude are very rare in this area, according to Nicholls.

The normal yearly rainfall for Aswan is only about 0.05 of an inch (1.4 mm).

Heavy rain once again threatened parts of Egypt on Wednesday. Because of this, Major General Mohamed Al-Sharif, Governor of Alexandria, announced a state of emergency for the Governorate of Alexandria in order to better prepare resources for the expected rain, according to local media.

After the threat for additional heavy rain passed on Wednesday, AccuWeather forecasters say the remainder of the week is expected to remain rather dry across the region. By the weekend, another threat for locally heavy storms will develop as a storm churns over the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

MORE TO EXPLORE:

Antarctic penguin washes ashore nearly 2,000 miles from home
Daredevil soars toward space on top of a hot air balloon
Man stumbled on incredible discovery in opening of cliff

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

Inside the grueling recovery effort after Texas’ deadly flood

Jul. 15, 2025
Severe Weather

Flash flooding swamps Northeast metro areas as extreme rain threatens ...

Jul. 15, 2025
Weather Forecasts

Flood-weary Texas finally drying out, but near 100-degree heat looms

Jul. 15, 2025
Weather News

The Deadliest Floods in Texas History: A State at Risk

Jul. 14, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

Inside the grueling recovery effort after Texas’ deadly flood

10 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

Flood-weary Texas finally drying out, but near 100-degree heat looms

6 hours ago

Hurricane

Tropical Rainstorm to drench Florida, Gulf Coast

6 hours ago

Weather News

Grand Canyon fires force closures

16 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

Flash flood dangers far from over as storms reload across US

7 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Astronomy

Noctilucent clouds shimmer in summer sky

1 day ago

Recreation

Yellowstone’s landscape shifts again with discovery of new hot pool

1 day ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

4 days ago

Weather News

Giant shoes found spark mystery around the soldiers of ancient Rome

1 day ago

Weather News

It’s not just humans – chimpanzees also like to follow trends

1 day ago

AccuWeather Severe Weather Man describes scorpion attack triggered by violent storms
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...