Bring out the winter woollies – it’s a snowy start to the week, says Weather Service

South Africans can expect a chilly start to the coming week as surface temperatures are expected to drop significantly from Monday, May 25 into Tuesday, May 26.

According to the South African Weather Service, the mountains of the Western Cape and the extreme south-western areas of the Northern Cape are about to experience the first snow of 2020. This follows recent snowfalls in the Eastern Cape and Lesotho, included QwaQwa in the Free State.

The weather system responsible for the expected cold snap is an intense cold front supported by a steep upper trough which started Sunday night, May 24 bringing showers to the southwestern areas of the Western Cape, said the Weather Service.

Furthermore, very rough to high seas, with wave heights varying between 4.5m to 6.5m can also be expected along the Cape coastline.

Communities living in the extreme south-western areas of the Western Cape should also brace themselves for a combination of cold, strong gusty winds as well as moderate rainfall.

Numeric modelling currently suggests rainfall of 5 to 15 mm over parts of the Western Cape, while mountainous areas are likely to experience more significant falls, possibly 20mm to 30mm. There is also a potential for localised flooding in places.

On Tuesday, May 26 snowfall is expected to spread to the central and northern interior of the Eastern Cape.

Also, on May 26 widespread bitterly cold daytime temperatures are expected over the entire interior, including the Cape provinces, Free State and southern KwaZulu-Natal.

Even the southern parts of Gauteng are likely to be cold and windy on Tuesday. Snowfall is also likely to spread to include Lesotho, QwaQwa and the KZN Drakensberg mountains.

While many will be excited to see snow, the South African Weather Service nevertheless strongly encourages the public to refrain from travelling to snow sites amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the current lockdown regulations.

Temperatures are expected to recover gradually over the Cape provinces from Wednesday,  May 27  although widespread morning frost could also be expected over the interior areas.

Updated information is available at www.weathersa.co.za

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