What happened to Spring? Weather Service explains why October is so cold

As we enter spring, the last thing you would expect is to be snowed in or swept away by heavy wind.

But the reality is that South Africans have been dealing with weather colder than many are used to at this time of year.

Over the weekend of 19-22 September, severe levels of snow hit parts of the country, causing chaos in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

ALSO READ: Snow in KZN: Why was SA’s disaster management caught off guard?

The extreme conditions ironically overlapped with the spring solstice on Sunday 22 September.

The following weekend the weather service forecast extreme cold temperatures with the possibility of light snowfall in some provinces from Sunday into Tuesday.

ALSO READ: KZN government on high alert for expected snowfall

SA Weather Service explains cold conditions

SA Weather Service Climatologist Andries Kruger told The Citizen that in the spring months the summer weather systems start to establish, but typical winter systems still occur in between.

“For example, the moisture from the north is coming closer but the cold fronts from the south can still be strong from time to time.”

He said that the transition from winter into summer can sometimes bring about more extreme conditions, such as the recent snow.

“This variation and interaction between the typically summer and winter systems can make the weather quite unsettling.

“Cold weather is not unusual in the early spring months, including October. This happens because the cold fronts from the south can still be strong from time to time, as what happened last week.”

ALSO READ: ‘It looks like the Alps’: Snow blizzard brings chaos to KZN 

What weather should we be expecting this upcoming week?

The weather service’s forecasting centre said it is “not expecting” extremes in the next seven days.

“The weather system that was dominating was what brought the cold. But now that the system is out, everything will gradually return to its average of the season.

Extended weather forecast for Wednesday, 02 Oct 2024 and Thursday, 03 Oct 2024 pic.twitter.com/RsmO3S6958

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) September 30, 2024

“We are not expecting cold weather this week, it’s more like a recovery week. What we are expecting this week is each region returning to its spring weather.

“Temperatures will start to recover over the western parts of the country from [Tuesday], meaning the temperatures will be warming.”

The eastern parts of the country are expected to warm, specifically the Eastern Cape, KZN, and some parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, from Friday.

So, what will spring and summer be like?

The weather service said “normal” spring conditions can be expected, including strong winds and varying temperatures.

“Our spring is normally dry conditions where the temperature is sometimes warm to hot, sometimes it’s cold, and there are strong winds.”

Meteorologist, Dr Christine Engelbrecht told a news briefing on Tuesday that rainfall predictions for the seasons ahead are less certain.

Additionally, temperatures are predicted to be above average.

“Maximum and minimum temperatures are predicted to be above normal over most of the country.”

READ MORE: Cold and windy weather with risky seas on Tuesday