More rain in parts of Gauteng as Vaal dam sits above 98%

More rain is expected in parts of Gauteng on Monday evening despite having experienced sunny weather earlier during the day, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) confirmed.

“We are expecting isolated storms around the late hours of the day from 6pm until around midnight,” SAWS forecaster, Wayne Veator told The Citizen.

This is after nearly three weeks of heavy rains, following the landfall of cyclone Eloise. More possible flooding in Limpopo, Free State and North West is also expected in the coming days.

ALSO READ: Flood warning issued for three provinces as heavy rains set to continue

While the rain had caused damage in some areas, most dams and rivers in the country have reaped the benefits of the rainy weather as the water capacity have increased including Vaal Dam.

Veator noted that there were small chances of rain compared to previous weeks, which would make it slightly impossible for the Vaal dam to get to 100% capacity.

The dam reached 98.2% water capacity according to the Department of Water and Sanitation. The levels have increased due to the contributions from the Wilge and Vaal Rivers.

Around this time last year, the Vaal dam recorded 57.0%.

Vaal river – Picture: Twitter / @waterwatch101

Ek kom deel net hoe mooi vol die vaaldam al is, nie lank terug nie moes mens maklik tussen 80 na 100m van die boot launch bordjies af dam toe ry om n boot in die water te sit… Nou is die water nie meer ver van die pad af nie
????Nulette E Groenewald pic.twitter.com/PKJTwNzrBu

— ReenvalSA (@ReenvalSA) February 7, 2021

READ MORE: 8 dead, five missing in devastating Mpumalanga floods

Meanwhile, the Augrabie Falls, which is a waterfall located in Northern Cape, is reaching rare levels of water flow. The falls is connected to the largest river in the country, the Orange River.

River levels along the Limpopo River Basin are also gradually rising at Beitbridge with more of the water appearing to be coming.

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