Cold front to hit Gauteng hard next week

A cold front sweeping in from the Western Cape is expected to bring cold temperatures to Gauteng, including Pretoria and beyond next week, the SA Weather Service has warned.

Forecaster Madimetja Thema told the Centurion Rekord on Thursday that the cold front was expected to hit the capital on Monday.

“The cold air will come on Monday evening; however, before that, you can expect strong winds. As the cold front settles on Tuesday, there will be a significant drop in temperatures,” he said.

Thema said Bronkhorstspruit would be colder compared to other parts of Pretoria. Johannesburg will also be freezing.

“Expect temperatures to be below 0 °C in the morning. Motorists are advised to be cautious due to fog. Homeowners are also urged to cover their plants.”

He said a maximum of 18 °C was expected on Tuesday in Pretoria while Wednesday would see temperatures drop to 17 °C. Johannesburg will be as low as 13 °C and 14 °C, with temperatures dropping to minus 2 on Monday.

“The cold front will persist for later in the week with the temperatures ranging around 16 °C to 18 °C.”

“There won’t be much recovery over the weekend, with the maximum of 19 next Saturday in Pretoria [and 16 in Johannesburg],” said Thema.

The good news for Cape Town is that rainfall is set to continue for four consecutive days. The average dam levels in the drought-stricken region are expected to reach the 50% level soon, and most dams are more than twice as full now than they were at this time last year.