SA set for a mild winter this year, says weather service

The chilly conditions that have been experienced, especially in the evenings and early mornings in different parts of the country, is a sign that winter is on the way, the South African Weather Service said on Monday.

Minimum temperatures have in recent days been dropping to below 10ºC in Gauteng.

Speaking to The Citizen on Monday, forecaster Dipuo Tawana said maximum temperatures which have been ranging between the early and mid 20s were unlikely to improve beyond the 26ºC mark.

Asked if this winter would be extremely cold, Tawana said current indications suggested, on average, a mild winter.

“What we are seeing at the moment is that we are likely to experience above normal temperatures from late autumn going into winter, which means slightly warmer temperatures on the cards but, on some days, there will be some cold conditions,” Tawana said.

“Currently, there is a lot of uncertainty over what to expect over the next couple of months.”

In terms of rain in the coming months, Tawana said most rain could be expected in the Western Cape, the province which received the bulk of its rainfall during
winter.

She said there was also a lot of uncertainty regarding the chances of rain.

Looking at this week’s forecast, Tawana said residents in the eastern parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal could expect some showers on Tuesday.

“There is a low pressure system which will bring isolated showers over parts of the Western Cape and the eastern parts of the Northern Cape on Wednesday and on Thursday. The showers will then spread to parts of the Eastern Cape.

“For Gauteng, we don’t expect anything much in the form of rain for the better part of this week.

“In terms of temperatures, maximums are expected to remain below the 25ºC mark.

“But if we are to get another system that will bring further cooling, it will be difficult for the daytime temperatures to recover,” Tawana added.

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.