A general view of a stormy weather on July 09, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. It is reported that weather forecasters are calling one of the most eventful winter weekends in Southern Africa in many years is expected to make landfall in the Western Cape. The mammoth cold front is expected to bring heavy rains and even snow in high-lying areas. (Photo by Gallo Images)
Despite the season of hot mornings, longer days and shorter nights creeping in, some parts of the country might experience temperature drops and rainfall this weekend due to the cold front that is expected to hit the Western Cape on Friday, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has confirmed.
SAWS warned that the province should brace itself for the cold front, which will result in rainfall, spreading along the south coast and eastern coast on Saturday.
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According to SAWS forecaster Kgolofelo Mahlangu, there is a 30% chance that thunderstorms might occur in some of the Highveld areas, including North West and Free State, on Thursday afternoon, while Limpopo and Mpumalanga are set to experience warm, hot temperatures ranging between 30-32 degrees Celsius on the same day.
“It is going to be cold starting from the Western Cape on Friday then moving over into the western interior of the country.”
Mahlangu said the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Eastern Cape will experience fine weather on Thursday while the west coast of Western Cape will be cloudy and cool to cold with morning fog.
As the cold front makes landfall on Friday morning in the Western Cape, there’s an 80% chance of rainfall as the temperatures drop in the evening, resulting in thunderstorms. There’s also a 60% chance of rainfall along the southern and eastern coast on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Highveld areas would experience warm weather, however, with a tiny drop in temperatures on Friday. Warm weather will persist throughout the rest of the week in these areas.
Temperatures will remain cool on Sunday across most parts of the country.
SAWS had previously indicated that there was an increased chance of above-normal rainfall over most parts of the country during spring, late spring and early summer, from September 2020 to January 2021.
“The main focus will be on the summer rainfall areas in the northeast of South Africa.
“In general, most of the country is expected to experience above-normal temperatures during spring and late spring, with below-normal maximum temperatures predicted for the northeastern parts of the country during early summer.”
(Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa)
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