/ 25 June 2007

Winter bites again as cold front hits SA

A national warning was issued by the South African Weather Service on Monday morning with regards to a strong cold front affecting the country this week. Already prevalent in the south-western Cape, the cold, windy conditions are expected to sweep across the central interior of the country on Tuesday.

Gale-force northerly to north-westerly winds are expected between St Helena Bay and Mossel Bay and in places over the central interior of the Northern and Western Cape provinces. Heavy rainfall and cold conditions are also expected in these regions, and snowfalls are likely on the high grounds.

Very rough seas with wave heights exceeding 5m are expected between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas, spreading eastwards to Plettenberg Bay on Tuesday.

Tuesday will see a continuation these conditions with gale-force westerly to south-westerly winds along the south coast and the cold, wet and windy conditions spreading to the Eastern Cape interior.

Snowfalls are likely to persist on the eastern high grounds of the Western Cape, spreading to the high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape and the southern Drakensberg.

Ntokozo Ngubo of the South African Weather Service told the Mail & Guardian Online that snowfall can be expected over the northern Drakensberg on Wednesday, causing a drop in temperatures in the Gauteng region.

There is a small chance of light isolated showers in Gauteng on Tuesday, with more chilly weather by the middle of the week, Johannesburg reaching a dismal maximum of 12 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

Early-morning temperatures in Gauteng are likely to fall sharply on Thursday as a result of the wind dropping on Wednesday night. Daytime temperatures, however, are expected to recover gradually from Thursday onwards. Ngubo predicted weekend conditions to be fine and mild.

There is also a risk of runaway fires due to the strong winds experienced throughout the country. Conditions favourable for the development of runaway fires are expected in the Garden Route, Little Karoo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the southern Lowveld on Monday, spreading to the rest of the north-eastern interior on Tuesday.