Snow expected over the Western Cape this week

Snow has made landfall in the Western Cape. File Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency(ANA)

Snow has made landfall in the Western Cape. File Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Jul 9, 2023

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Widespread cold conditions were expected in most parts of the country over the next few days, with snow on the high lying areas, the SA Weather Service (Saws) has warned.

Snow started to fall over the high lying areas of the Western and Northern Cape on Saturday, and was expected to spread to the high lying areas of the Eastern Cape, where it could become disruptive in places, Saws cautioned.

Maximum temperatures were expected to stay below 10°C in most places over the interior, while very cold conditions were expected across the Eastern Cape from Sunday, with widespread frost on Tuesday morning.

“The much-anticipated cold front has made landfall over the western parts of South Africa, resulting in significant cooling in daytime temperatures as well as showers and rain.

“Further cooling is expected over the western parts of the country, spreading to the central and eastern parts during Sunday and Monday,” said Saws.

Furthermore, snow was expected to spread to the southern Drakensberg, with light snowfall possible along the eastern Highveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga on Monday.

“Please be advised that the combination of the very cold temperatures with possible snowfall, poses a real risk for small stock farmers as well as any outdoor activities.

“Strong winds are expected over the western and central interior of the country today, with damaging waves along the west, south and south-east coasts. Windy conditions are also expected over the eastern interior of the country during Sunday and Monday,” Saws added.

The country’s weather service said it was closely monitoring this weather system and would update the public when needed

Cape Times