Wet, windy Women’s Day weekend

Looming cold front to bring cold, wet weather to KZN and the Zululand region

August 6, 2026

Tamlyn Cramer 2 minutes read

Brace for cold weather PHOTO: Liza Pooor/Unsplash

A cold, wet, windy Women’s Day weekend is on the cards, with snow expected on the mountains of KwaZulu-Natal.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued the forecast on Wednesday, the result of a cold front set to make landfall over the Western Cape and Northern Cape on Sunday.

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The cold front, with an associated steep upper-air trough, will bring cold to very cold, wet and windy conditions, as well as rough sea conditions, with snowfall over the mountainous areas.

These conditions are expected to spread to the Eastern Cape as the system moves eastwards.

What it means for Zululand

The system is expected to move over the central to eastern parts of South Africa on Monday, ‘spreading the cold to very cold conditions with rain and showers further inland, while scattered to widespread rain and showers are expected over the southern parts of the country’.

“Snow is expected over the mountainous areas of the Free State, KZN and Mpumalanga. While there is a low probability of light snow over some of the higher-lying areas outside these regions, confidence remains highest over the mountain ranges mentioned,” said the SAWS.

A warm, 28 degree Celsius Saturday and Sunday across Richards Bay and Empangeni will descend to a cold, wet 17 degrees on Monday, dropping further to 15 degrees C on Tuesday.

After a sunny 24 degrees over the weekend in Mtubatuba, Monday’s public holiday will drop to 18 degrees with 75% chance of rain, and dipping further to a partly cloudy 16 degrees C on Tuesday.

Hluhluwe is much the same, while eShowe residents will wake to a bitterly cold 12 degrees Celsius on Monday, with 90% chance of rain.

eShowe’s rain, however, will start on Sunday as the system starts making its way towards the region.

Main impacts

• Localised flooding of low-lying areas, roads, bridges and informal settlements due to persistent rainfall

• Damaging winds, which may result in fallen trees, damage to roofs and infrastructure, power interruptions and hazardous driving conditions

• Damaging waves and rough seas along the coastline, posing a risk to maritime activities and coastal infrastructure

• Very cold conditions, which may increase the risk of exposure for vulnerable communities and place stress on livestock

• Snow over mountain passes, potentially resulting in hazardous travel conditions, road closures and disruptions to transport

“We encourage the public, motorists, farmers and disaster management authorities to remain informed by following updates and warnings issued by the SAWS, and to take the necessary precautions as this weather system progresses across the country.”

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