In the wake of tropical depression Eloise, the SA Weather Office has warned that the new week will bring even more rain for Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and with the ground already saturated, it won’t take much rain to result in flooding.
In a media statement on Saturday, Saws said over 50 mm of rain is expected over the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga from Monday evening into Tuesday morning.
“This might result in flooding in places as the soil is still saturated due to the rainfall from the tropical depression Eloise.
This rain is expected to fall in the evening of Monday February 1, into the morning of Tuesday February 2.
Saws has therefore issued an Orange warning for disruptive rainfall expected over the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga resulting in flooded low-lying areas, isolated incidents of breaching earth dam walls, general disruption to traffic and basic services, flooding of roads and settlements (both formal and informal), dangerous driving conditions on roads due to an increased number of pot-holes, as well as danger to life (particularly fast-flowing rivers and streams).
“The public are advised to monitor the SAWS Facebook page (@WeatherServic) and Twitter @SAWeatherServic and the SAWS website (www.weathersa.co.za) for any significant changes in the weather forecast and updates to the warnings especially in the next week. The country has received significant amount of rainfall for the past week, and due to the high soil moisture content, some areas only require little amount of rain for flooding to occur.”