A powerful cold front is sweeping across South Africa this week, bringing with it a mix of rain, sleet, and even snow across central parts of the country.

The South African Weather Service has cautioned the public to brace for disruptive weather as the system intensifies into a cut-off low by midweek.

It has issued multiple Yellow Level 1 warnings ahead of what could be one of the most turbulent stretches of weather this winter, Pretoria Rekord reports.

The first front was due to make landfall over the south-western coast on Monday morning, bringing gale-force winds and sea swells of up to 5.5 meters.

A secondary front is forecasted to follow close behind by the evening, intensifying conditions along the Western Cape coastline.

VoxWeather forecaster Michelle du Plessis said scattered to widespread showers are still expected over western South Africa as the cold front continues to sweep across the Cape.

“A steep upper-air trough (developing into a cut-off low by Wednesday) will drive a band of scattered showers across the eastern Northern Cape, western Eastern Cape, and further eastwards into the North West, Free State, and the rest of the Eastern Cape overnight into Wednesday.”

She said freezing levels will drop sharply, with isolated light snow possible over southern Namibia.

“A mix of rain, sleet or snow may fall from the cloud band stretching across central South Africa from Tuesday into Wednesday.”

Here are the impact-based warnings issued by the SAWS:

• Yellow Level 1: Damaging Waves leading to localised disruption to beachfront activities, are expected between Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay.
• Fire danger warnings: Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected in places over the western half of the North West, the north-eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the Nyandeni Local Municipality of the Eastern Cape.
• Advisories: Very cold, wet and windy conditions are expected in places over the interior of the Namakwa district (Northern Cape) and Witzenberg Municipality of the Western Cape.

The SPCA reminds all animal owners that pets and livestock are just as vulnerable to cold weather as humans.

With the extreme conditions expected, the SPCA recommends the following steps to ensure animals stay warm, healthy, and safe:

• Bring pets indoors: If possible, allow your pets to stay inside the home, especially overnight when temperatures drop the most.
• Use warm clothing: Consider putting a jersey or pet coat on animals that tolerate it to help retain body heat.
• Provide warm, dry shelter: For animals that must stay outside, make sure they have access to a dry, draft-free enclosure. The shelter should be just large enough to hold in their body heat but spacious enough to allow them to sit or lie down comfortably.
• Elevate flooring: Raise the floor of the shelter a few inches off the ground using pallets or mats to prevent cold and dampness from seeping in.
• Add bedding and blankets: Provide clean, dry bedding with extra blankets or straw to insulate against the cold.
• Protect livestock: Move livestock to sheltered areas shielded from wind and rain. Ensure they have unfrozen drinking water available at all times.
• Use heaters with caution: If you use heaters in animal shelters, make sure they cannot burn animals or cause fires.
• Watch for signs of hypothermia: Symptoms include shivering, lethargy, whining, anxiety, and seeking warmth. If you notice any signs, get your animal inside immediately and consult a veterinarian.

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