An intense cold front, expected to make landfall over the Western and Northern Cape provinces this week, will bring with it very cold, wet, and windy conditions as well as possible localised flooding.
The South African Weather Service (Saws) explained that cold to very cold conditions can be expected, along with possible snowfall over the western mountain ranges of the Western Cape, spreading into the south-western interior of the Northern Cape, from Wednesday.
The forecaster said the cold front will pass through the provinces from Wednesday until Friday with temperatures dipping to below 10°C over the high-lying areas.
“Heavy rainfall leading to possible localised flooding can be expected over the western parts of the Western Cape. There will also be strong to gale-force coastal winds and very rough seas.
Speaking during a briefing on Monday, weather forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela, explained that parts of the Eastern Cape could also feel the chill.
“In Gauteng, temperatures are expected to drop on Friday, into Saturday and we may start seeing some recovery from Sunday,” he said.
Thobela added that as the system progresses eastwards, it will affect the Eastern Cape, a region already vulnerable to weather-related impacts. The key concern is the strong damaging winds expected across most parts of the province on Thursday.
“Interior winds are expected to pick up and spread over the remainder of eastern provinces on Thursday and Friday with daytime temperatures dropping to the cold category,” he said.
