SA Weather Service warns of icy weekend as yellow level 1 storms hail and snow target Eastern Cape Free State.
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Brace for a cold weekend, with frost, rain and snow set to fall in parts of the country.
SA Weather Service forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela warned it would be a cold weekend ahead with partly cloudy and cold conditions accompanied by isolated showers over the eastern and western parts of the country.
Cold weekend ahead
Thobela said there was a yellow level 1 warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours resulting in localised flooding as well as hail and gusts of wind which could lead to damage of infrastructure over the central and eastern parts of the Eastern Cape.
Snow resulting in localised traffic disruption over the northeastern parts of Eastern Cape, near the Lesotho border, was also expected.
“Very cold, wet and windy conditions are expected today over the Free State, southern parts of the North West and most parts of the Northern Cape, as well as in places over the Eastern Cape interior,” Thobela added.
He said fine and cold conditions were expected over the weekend, and it would be partly cloudy in places across the southwestern parts and the northeastern regions of the country.
Weather Hooligan Juandre Vorster said most of the country will get frost today, and warned it was one of the big frosts to come.
Big frosts to come
“It’s going to be a very cold weekend ahead,” he warned.
Vox weather meteorologist Annette Botha said it wasn’t as cold as usual for this time of the year.
“Looking back at June rains, it was a dry start to the far-western parts of the country as anticipated. However, one weather system brought above-average rain for parts of the Cape, Free State, also in the southern parts of Namibia and Botswana, with some parts receiving more than six times their average rain,” she said.
“I might feel cold now, but June was surprisingly warm with many parts experiencing above-average minimum and maximum temperatures,” Botha added.
She said for the rest of the winter and the start of spring, the far west-side of the country will remain dry, with above-average rains and weaker cold fronts.
