SA warned to brace for cold, rainy weather ahead of Easter

A band of showers and thundershowers is expected over the central parts of the country on Thursday, according to the South African Weather Service.

Forecaster Bransby Bulo said on Wednesday rainfall was expected on Thursday in Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Showers are also expected in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

“On Good Friday, the band is expected to shift towards the eastern parts of the country, which still includes Gauteng, North West, eastern Free State, eastern parts of the Eastern Cape and the whole of KwaZulu-Natal.

“The chances of rainfall will start decreasing to 30% on Saturday,” Bulo said.

There was rain in Gauteng on Monday and more on Tuesday night. People, especially those in Johannesburg and the southern and western parts of the province, woke up to misty conditions yesterday.

It started raining just after 7am on Wednesday.

Motorists travelling to various holiday destinations, as well as those going to church gatherings for the Easter weekend, are also advised to exercise extra caution, especially when it is wet.

Apart from the rain, people can also expect significant drops in daytime temperatures.

The maximum temperatures in some provinces are expected to drop into the cold category.

In the Western Cape, residents in the central parts can expect daytime temperatures of below the 20ºC, while those in the high-lying areas can expect temperatures of between 10 and 12ºC.

In the Eastern Cape, maximum temperatures in areas such as Graaff Reinet and Queenstown are expected to peak at highs of between 5 and 10ºC.

The coldest areas in the Northern Cape will be Calvinia and Sutherland with highs of between 8 and 10ºC.

Maximums in the southern parts of the Free State are expected to range between 15 and 17ºC. Cold conditions are also expected for KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith with maximums set to drop to between 10 and 18ºC.

In Gauteng, maximums are expected to be between 17 and 22ºC.

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