South Africans brace for freezing temperatures as cold front hits

More weather warnings have been issued as the cold front intensifies and a storm surge may result in heavy rainfall and damage to coastal infrastructure.

South African Weather Service meteorologist Kgolofelo Dube said residents in the interior can brace themselves for cold mornings with temperatures dropping to -1ºC in Pretoria -2ºC in Johannesburg and -4ºC in Vereeniging with maximum temperatures barely reaching 14ºC as the cold front moves through the interior.

SA Weather Service’s Hannelee Doubell said an intense cold front/mid-latitude cyclone would bring a significant drop in atmospheric pressure and strong winds, leading to high waves and storm surges along the west and southeast coastline between Alexander Bay and Gqeberha.

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Doubell said a storm surge is calculated as the difference between the expected astronomical tide and the actual water level.

“Strong onshore winds and waves can further increase water levels at the coast. When these conditions occur during high tide or spring tide, the impact on the coastline can be exacerbated,” she said.

Doubell said wave heights of six to eight metres were expected, potentially reaching up to 10m in the southwest, along with gale to strong gale force north-westerly to westerly winds.

“The system will result in heavy rainfall, with potential impacts such as damage to coastal infrastructure and disruptions of daily activities,” she said.

Western Cape MEC of local government, environmental affairs and development planning Anton Bredell on Sunday said the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) continued to monitor the weather situation as the cold front moves across the province.

“At this stage, ward 99 in Khayelitsha is our priority, as close to 1 000 structures were destroyed by strong winds on Thursday leaving close to 4 000 people without shelter,” he said.

“PDMC this morning received feedback after the first of several cold fronts made landfall. Several fronts are expected to impact the Western Cape until next week Friday.”

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