Heavy rains and strong winds lashed parts of the Middle East on Sunday, rocking ships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and damaging dozens of buildings in Egypt, government officials and state-run media reported. The low-pressure system left a wake of destruction as it moved across the region, producing 48 sustained hours of severe weather conditions, noted CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward. Three people died in the port city of Alexandria, Egypt, after strong winds and heavy rains contributed to the partial collapse of at least 28 buildings, state-run Nile TV reported. Heavy swells and high winds shook a Royal Caribbean cruise ship early Sunday as it approached Alexandria, the company said in a statement. Several passengers received minor injuries and the ship itself suffered minor damage, before its captain opted not to dock the ship and moved on to its next destination in the Maltese city of Valetta, the statement said. Low visibility, heavy snow and strong winds made most roads near the eastern Lebanese city of Zahleas, as well as in the Al-Masnaa region along the Syrian border, accessible only to 4-wheel drive and similarly equipped vehicles, the state-run National News Agency reported. The Zahle-Dhour Shweir Highway near Zahle, though, was shut down to all traffic after parts were blocked by piles of snow. Beirut alone has been deluged by 106 mm (over 4 inches) of rain since Friday night, with nearby mountains getting snow. While the current storm system was forecast to taper off by early Monday, another low-pressure front is set to move east into Turkey early next week could dump heavy rain in northern Lebanon and Israel, and scattered showers elsewhere in the Middle East, Ward said.
