Severe thunderstorms driven by a Mediterranean low-pressure system combined with an upper-level cut-off low brought heavy hail accumulations to parts of North Africa this week. In Algeria, hail up to 3cm deep was recorded in Oum Ladjoul and Hammam Sokhna, while Tunisia saw hailstones 3cm in diameter in Makthar and a 2cm-deep layer of accumulation in Ouled Bousmir. Meteorologists note that the storms were intensified by unusually hot conditions preceding the weather system, allowing enough hail to fall that it blanketed the ground in a manner resembling snow.