Cape Town — Authorities have urged South Africans to stay warm and safe as a cold front continues to sweep through the country, with wet weather and low temperatures expected.
The South African Weather Services (SAWS) had warned last week that temperatures would drop drastically nationwide. Gauteng residents were already warned to stay safe while using heating appliances as temperatures are set to fall into the minuses. In contrast, the Western Cape was warned of strong winds and rain that will spread across the province, EWN reported.
According to City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson, Sonica Lategan, more inclement weather is expected in the next few days, with services ready to respond.
“The forecast for the next 24 to 48 hours will likely exacerbate the impacts of the inclement weather experienced to date. All relevant city services are already involved in emergency response efforts, and will continue to do so as reports come in.”
As the intense cold front exits the country, we are left with cool to cold conditions over the country. Western Cape isn’t out of the blocks yet as they brace for a second cold front to make landfall. Please monitor our alerts carefully as there are many of them. pic.twitter.com/HDnaMLWXsb
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) July 9, 2024
SAWS also issued a level 4 warning for the West Coast, the northern parts of the Cape Winelands, and the western parts of the Overberg districts, while a level 6 warning was issued for disruptive rain and flooding expected in the City of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Drakenberg, The Citizen reported.
Parts of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape will also be affected by damaging winds, while the Plettenberg Bay and Port Edward areas, as well as Table Bay and Struisbaai, received a level 6 warning for damaging winds. Elsewhere, cold temperatures are expected in the inland provinces, as well as parts of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN)
Stellenbosch Unicery’s Guy Midgley spoke to Newzroom Afrika and said the current weather conditions are a mixture of climate change and the natural winter weather for South Africa.
“Winter cold fronts are a feature of South African weather, particularly of Cape Town. We have very high winds and very high wave heights infringing on Cape Town, the South Coast, so in a way, there is a signal of climate change in the high winds and the very high waves but it’s very difficult to say that with any precision because we don’t have records for a very long time,” Midgley said.
He added that the weather is miserable across the country and it is a shock to the system when the weather goes from very warm to very cold. The sudden change catches people off guard. He empathised with those living in shacks and informal settlements who would not be prepared to adequately deal with these weather conditions.
“We’ve got to be awake to these warnings and our weather service gives us very good warnings, so we’ve got to listen to them,” he concluded.
The SA Weather Service has issued several warnings as inclement conditions remain in large parts of the country due to a strong cold front. Maximum daytime temperatures are expected to stay in the single digits in some areas, with Gauteng expected to be freezing. Stellenbosch… pic.twitter.com/Jsrq3csxWJ
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 9, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
