Since Monday evening, January 19, 2026 and through Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the northeastern regions of Libya has been affected by strong southeasterly winds with speeds ranging from 50 to 80 km/h. The strong gusts reached up to 100 km/h at Benina Airport Observing Station. These winds stirred dense dust and sand, reduced horizontal visibility to near-total loss or zero visibility in some areas, particularly in Benghazi Plain, AL-Marj and Gulf region.
The severe weather condition also caused significant structural and environmental damages; it led to the collapse of some building walls, power towers and billboards, uprooted trees and caused damage to vehicles. The Crisis Committee in the eastern region announced the death of two citizens.
On 17 / 1 / 2026, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) issued an early warning ( A Severe Orange Alert for this Region ), and disseminated it to the public sectors and via the media urging them to take more care and caution. The NMC updated this early warning daily.
