Cape warned to brace for gale force winds from Tuesday evening

The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Management Centre has warned that gale force winds and strong gusts are expected to hit the western coasts of the province on Tuesday evening.

The South African Weather Services has advised the centre of an intense cold front, with “an associated cut off low”, resulting in strong to gale force coastal and interior winds, heavy rain, very cold conditions and rough seas.

The cold front is expected to endure from Tuesday to Thursday.

According to the City’s disaster management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, a gale force north-westerly wind of between 60 to 65km/h is expected between Cape Columbine, on the west coast, and Cape Agulhas, on the south coast, on Tuesday evening.

“Strong to gale force interior winds (55 to 75km/h) and gusting winds (65 to 85km/h) are expected over the Cape Metropole on Wednesday,” said Powell.

Very rough seas are expected from Wednesday morning, with wave heights of 4m to 5m, reaching 6m to 7m between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas.

Significant rainfall is also expected from Wednesday, and fairly cold temperatures.

Powell said that all City services and external agencies will be on standby to deal with the predicted adverse weather conditions.

“Residents are reminded to please ensure that they remove any potential blockages around their homes to limit the risk of localised flooding,” she added.

For weather-related emergencies, the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre can be contacted at 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.

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