וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֵֽלִיָּ֔הוּ לְהֵרָא֖וֹת אֶל־אַחְאָ֑ב וְהָרָעָ֖ב חָזָ֥ק בְּשֹׁמְרֽוֹן׃
Élie partit pour paraître devant Achab; la famine alors était grande à Samarie.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויחזק הרעב בארץ מצרים, “the famine remained strong in the land of Egypt.” The people, though eating, were not feeling sated. We read of a similar phenomenon in Kings I 18,2 “the famine remained strong in Shomron.”