No ‘Storm Baron’ but widespread showers ahead

There is currently no tropical cyclone activity over the south-western Indian Ocean, and no officially recognised storm named Baron.

This is according to the SA Weather Service (SAWS), which has rejected claims of a ‘storm Baron’ that is allegedly expected to affect southern Africa from this Saturday, 10 January.

ALSO READ: Above-normal rainfall predicted for KZN over summer season

The weather service has labelled the social media reports as ‘false and should be regarded as a hoax’.

It has, however, warned that an intense low-pressure system is expected to develop over the southern parts of Mozambique in the coming days.

“This system is forecast to then move further south and is expected to bring widespread showers and thunderstorms to the north-eastern parts of the country from early morning Saturday, 10 January, persisting until Thursday, 15 January,” the SAWS said in a statement on Thursday.

The areas most likely to be affected include the escarpment and lowveld areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as well as north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal.

“It must be noted that, at present, there remains significant uncertainty regarding the exact placement of the core of the system, which directly influences where the heaviest rainfall is expected. While several numerical weather prediction models place the system’s core to the east of South Africa, over southern Mozambique, there are those models that indicate it could track much closer to the country.

“The first scenario would result in relatively lower rainfall amounts, while the second would mean very high amounts, potentially totalling several hundreds of millimetres in some places,” the weather service warned, adding that it is monitoring the situation.

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

HAVE YOUR SAY