The cold, wet and windy weather since Friday afternoon in the Western Cape is expected to spread eastwards across South Africa over the next few days.
The South African Weather Service said freezing temperatures are expected over the next few days in most parts of the country with snow on the higher elevations.
The expected cold front arrived over the western parts of South Africa with a significant drop in daytime temperatures with accompanying rain.
The maximum temperature is expected to remain below 10°C over the central and eastern parts on Sunday and Monday (figure 1).
Figure 1: Data from the numerical weather prediction model indicate maximum temperatures for a) Saturday 8 July, b) Sunday 9 July and c) Monday 10 July 2023
Snow fell over the high-lying parts of the Western and Northern Cape this morning and is expected to spread to the high-lying parts of the Eastern Cape later today where it could become disruptive in some places (see figure 2). Snow will spread to the southern Drakensberg on Sunday, with light snow possible on the eastern highveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga on Monday. The combination of cold temperatures with possible snow poses a danger to small livestock farmers and outdoor activity.
Figure 2: Data from the numerical weather prediction model indicates predicted snowfall (in cm) for a) Saturday 8 July, b) Sunday 9 July and c) Monday 10 July 2023
Strong winds are expected over the western and central interior with large waves on the west, south and southeast coasts. Windy conditions are also expected across the eastern interior on Sunday and Monday.
Very cold conditions are also expected over parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo (mainly on Monday, but already over southern Gauteng and the southern highlands of Mpumalanga on Sunday). Light snow is possible on Monday over the far eastern high veld regions and escarpment of Mpumalanga. The maximum temperature will remain below 7°C.
The South African Weather Service is monitoring the weather system and will keep the public informed where necessary. The public is encouraged to regularly monitor weather forecasts on radio, television and social media. The latest information is available at weathersa.co.za and the weather service’s Twitter profile at @SAWeatherServic
