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Gauteng residents are hoping for snow as cooler temperatures sweep across the province. An early forecast suggests there is a chance.
A snowman admires the snow that blanketed several areas in Gauteng. Picture: Twitter/@newslivesa
Gauteng residents are hoping for snow as cooler temperatures sweep across the province.
An early forecast indicates a small chance of snow and rain in Southern Gauteng on Friday.
Cold spell
Gauteng Weather shared the details on X.
“Alert: cut-off low brings cooler & potentially wet weather to Gauteng from Thursday evening. Small chance of soft hail, falling like snowflakes, remains for Friday morning”.
The last time it snowed in Johannesburg, Gauteng was on the 10th of July 2023 when the South African Weather Service (Saws) confirmed that various parts of the province were covered in a white.
According to Vox Weather, a strong cut-off will bring rain overnight into Friday morning to Gauteng, parts of North West, Free State, Highveld, and KZN.
ALSO READ: Winter wonderland: Snow expected in Gauteng next week
Gauteng snow
It said the system will move away by midday, with sunny skies returning to the east.
“While weather models do show a slim chance of light snow or a rain-snow mix in Gauteng early Friday morning, the likelihood of snow settling at ground level is very low because freezing levels are expected to remain above the province’s highest elevations”.
Temperatures
Meanwhile, with the dawn of the weekend, Gauteng residents can look forward to a cold but pleasant Saturday and Sunday, with sunny skies and no rain forecast for either Johannesburg or Pretoria.
Johannesburg will see slightly colder conditions than Pretoria, with Saturday’s temperatures dipping to a low of 6°C and peaking at 18°C.
Clear skies have been forecast for Pretoria from Saturday morning to Sunday evening, with no rainfall expected and a 0% chance of precipitation.
The mercury in Pretoria for Saturday has been forecast at a minimum of 6°C and a maximum of 21°C, with light winds blowing from the southwest at speeds of up to 5 km/h in the early hours and late evening.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Winter wonderland, it’s snowing in Joburg!
Other parts of SA
Meanwhile, the weather service has warned of heavy rain, cold, damaging winds, and disruptive snow in parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
Impact-based warnings
Yellow level 4 warning: Disruptive rainfall, leading to flooding of roads and a danger to life due to fast-flowing streams over low-lying bridges, is expected in the extreme western parts of the Western Cape.
Yellow level 2 warning: Damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea for small vessels and personal watercraft, being at risk of taking in water and capsizing, are expected between Saldanha Bay and Cape Agulhas, as well as between Plettenberg Bay and East London.
Yellow level 2 warning: Damaging waves leading to difficulty in navigation at sea between Plettenberg Bay and East London.
Yellow level 1 warning: Disruptive snow leading to loss of livestock, passes being closed, and traffic disruptions due to snow and icy roads are expected in places over the northeastern parts of the Eastern Cape.
Advisories
The service warned residents to brace for very cold, wet, and windy conditions over parts of the Western Cape, southern Namakwa (Northern Cape), and Eastern Cape.
These conditions, it said, are expected to impact areas between Friday and extend to Saturday.
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