Brace for brrrr: Stuck with cold fronts for now as warmer conditions only expected later

Various parts including Gauteng, North West, and Free State have for the last couple of days been enduring nippy weather conditions brought by cold fronts, which recently made landfall in the Western Cape.

There were also reports of snowfall in places such as Harrismith in the Free State on Friday.

Warmer weather conditions are only expected to return to the north-eastern parts of the country towards the end of next week, the SA Weather Service said on Saturday.

Weather update, 20 August

Cold fronts and showers

Forecaster Puseletso Mofokeng said despite clear conditions in some parts, the chill is still felt as another cold front moved off KwaZulu Natal (KZN) shortly after 9am on Saturday.

“Other areas feeling the cold conditions include the Eastern Cape, especially over the central areas where temperatures hovered around the single digits.

“We are expecting some isolated showers along the south coast and the adjacent interior but it does not look like there is a chance of rainfall for Sunday,” Mofokeng added.

Drizzle, rainfall and strong winds

On the escarpment of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, residents can expect patches of drizzle, mainly during Sunday morning.

This will be accompanied by fog patches, which are also expected to spread to the interior of KZN.

On Monday, no rainfall is expected anywhere in the country due to the day-to-day heating is expected to transform cold conditions into cool conditions.

“However I must point out that on Wednesday, there is a high possibility of strong winds in the Western Cape, including in the northern areas of the Northern Cape and the winds may be damaging but we will continue to monitor the situation,” Mofokeng added.

ALSO READ: Free(ze) State? Snow blankets N3 near Harrismith

Wet months ahead due to La Niña

Meanwhile, the latest long-term forecast points to wet Spring and Summer seasons, despite the weakened state of the La Niña weather system.

La Niña is usually associated with heavy downpours as was the case during the previous rainfall system, as witnessed with the flooding in KwaZulu Natal.

La Niña is also considered to be the counterpart of the other weather system known as El Niño, which brings about a series of heatwaves.

Mofokeng said the possibility of having the last cold front in September cannot be ruled out at this stage.

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