A snow warning has been issued a year after a woman died of hypothermia after being stranded in a taxi.
A year almost to the day after a snowstorm on the N3 killed one person and left hundreds stranded, snow has been predicted for the region this week.
Snowfall is expected for Lesotho in the early parts of the week, with the possibility of snow spreading to the high-lying areas of Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) up until Thursday.
The possibility of snow around Van Reenen’s Pass, where the tragedy happened in 2024, has also increased in the last 24 hours.
Possible KZN snow
Light snowfall is possible in KZN between Tuesday and Thursday, specifically across the Drakensberg, south Drakensberg and areas between Swartberg and Kokstad.
A “light dusting” of snowfall is expected for the same period this week near Barkly Pass, Naude’s Nek and Rhodes in the Eastern Cape.
Additionally, towns near the Eastern Cape and Free State’s border with Lesotho could also experience light snowfall.
The high ground between Afriski and the Sani Pass toward the south-west is the focal point of the snow warning.
“Snow outside of Lesotho is much less likely and really depends on how the freezing and moisture levels change,” Snow Report says.
“If you are planning to travel through areas that may get snow, it is worth being prepared.”
N3 hypothermia incident
On 20 September 2024, motorists were forced to make urgent changes to their travel arrangements as snow set in around Van Reenen’s Pass.
Parts of KZN and the Free State were blanketed with snowfall after a cut-off cold front brought a last kick of wintery conditions.
The busy pass was subsequently closed and only partially opened two days later while emergency services continued to assist stranded motorists.
KZN disaster management teams and the South African National Defence Force were dispatched to bolster relief efforts.
The conditions claimed the life of a woman who died after prolonged exposure to the severe cold.
The victim spent the night of 21 September in a taxi stuck in the snow along the N3 and collapsed the following day when the freed taxi stopped for refreshments.
Howick paramedics attempted to revive the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital, having succumbed to hypothermia.
