Intense Cold Front Expected to Hit South Africa

Advertisement

South Africans can expect an intense cold front, with chilly and wet conditions mid-week, as a cold front makes landfall in the Western Cape on Wednesday, 10 June. 

Charlotte Powell, Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson, said all City of Cape Town services and external agencies would be on standby to deal with the predicted adverse weather conditions.

“Residents are reminded to please ensure that they remove any potential blockages around their homes to limit the risk of localised flooding.”

Significant rainfall and snowfalls are expected for the mountainous regions of the Western and Eastern Cape, including the extreme southern areas of the Northern Cape as from Wednesday. 

Rainfall (5-20 mm) is expected to start on Tuesday afternoon over parts of the Western Cape ahead of the cold front, with continuous rainfall expected until Thursday 11 June.

Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith added: “With the onset of winter and the predicted bad weather for this week, I call upon motorists to exercise extra caution on the roads.”

The cold front will result in strong to gale force coastal and interior winds, heavy rain, very cold conditions, and rough seas:

• Gale force north-westerly winds (60 to 65km/h) are expected between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas on Tuesday evening. Strong to gale force interior winds (55 to 75km/h) and gusting winds (65 to 85km/h) are expected over the Cape Metropole on Wednesday.
• Very rough seas are expected from Wednesday morning with wave heights becoming 4-5m, reaching 6-7m between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas.
• Significant rainfall is expected across the metropole from Wednesday, and fairly cold temperatures.

Temperatures in the Western Cape and the Northern Cape are expected to drop significantly over the next 24 hours with heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and possible snowfall.

Forecaster Tokelo Chiloane said the wet and windy conditions would reach Gauteng, the Free State, and Mpumalanga by the end of the week.

Any weather-related emergencies should be reported to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialing 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.