Pedestrians walk with umbrellas during a heavy downpour / AFP PHOTO / TENGKU BAHAR
The heavy rainfall that returned to several parts of the country, including Gauteng, on Monday is expected to continue on Tuesday, the South African Weather Service said.
Residents in Gauteng woke up to early morning rainfall which resulted in on and off downpours on Monday.
Towards the end of last week, a lot of rain was experienced in the province but it subsided from Saturday and returned again on Monday.
Speaking to The Citizen, forecaster Kgolofelo Mahlangu said the bulk of the rain is expected Tuesday morning.
“We are expecting a 30% chance of showers and thundershowers in the southern and central parts of the province and a 60% chance for the northern parts, including Pretoria and surrounding areas on Tuesday.
“They will be the same on and off downpours that were experienced on Monday,” Mahlangu said.
READ MORE: Motorists urged to be cautious on Gauteng’s flooded roads
Other provinces where similar conditions are on the cards include Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu- Natal.
Mahlangu said the rain is expected to persist for the better part of this week.
Daytime temperatures are also expected to remain in the warm category, with Pretoria, Johannesburg and Vereeniging set to reach highs ranging between 28oC and 29oC.
The current heavy downpours come barely a week after the SA Weather Service predicted above-normal rainfall for Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal for the next couple of months.
Predictions also indicate only normal rainfall patterns for the western parts of the Free State, parts of North West and the Eastern Cape.
The much-needed rain has been welcomed by many and since it started towards the end of last year, there has also been gradual improvements in dam levels.
The Vaal Dam, which supplies water mainly to Gauteng, had reached an alarming level of 25% of capacity, prompting authorities to embark on a replenishing exercise which saw water being released from the storage reserve Sterkfontein Dam.
However, the bad news for residents in the Western Cape is that the dry and hot weather is expected to persist this week.
“Similar conditions are also expected to remain in the western parts of the Northern Cape,” Mahlangu said.
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