/ 4 November 2005

Record temperatures for sweltering Jo’burg, Pretoria

Johannesburg and Pretoria recorded the highest temperatures for November in 40 years on Thursday, the South African Weather Service said on Friday.

Forecaster Lee-Ann Clark said Pretoria sweated in a sweltering temperature of 39 degrees Celsius on Thursday, while Johannesburg recorded 34.

But, she said, relief is on its way.

Temperatures were already lower on Friday due to early cloud cover and cooler weather is expected for Saturday and Sunday.

”The temperatures will be a bit lower on Saturday, but the most dramatic difference will be on Sunday with temperatures going down by four to six degrees,” Clark said.

Rain is also expected to fall over most of the eastern and northern parts of the country from Saturday afternoon.

Conditions remain good for rain through Sunday and Monday morning with a bit of a break on Tuesday and Wednesday. From Thursday next week, conditions will be optimal again for rain over the interior.

Meanwhile, the weather service issued several warnings.

In the Eastern Cape, heavy rain associated with very cold conditions is expected over the weekend, while a fire hazard exists over Limpopo and Gauteng. — Sapa