Early weather alert: Snow, rain possible across southern Africa

The Storm Report SA team said it is monitoring a substantial weather front, which suggests snow and heavy rain could be expected across large parts of the country next week.

“[We are] monitoring a substantial front next weekend over the country. It is still early days but the latest models are suggesting lots of rain and snow across the country”, the team said.

The article below was originally published Sunday morning. The South African Weather Service has since confirmed snow is unlikely.

Weather update

When to expect snow?

According to Snow Report, snowfall looks possible across large parts of southern Africa, including SA, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland, from “late on Thursday until the early hours of Sunday”.

“At this stage, the data suggests anything from very light snowfall or just flurries for some areas, to much heavier snowfall in some parts of the country”.

It should, however, be noted that no official alert has been released by the South African Weather Service (Saws) at the time of publishing.

Weather forecast, 26 to 29 August

The weather forecast for Thursday, 26 August warns of mainly cloudy conditions with a high of 24 degrees Celcius, and a low of 13.

According to Accuweather, Friday the 27th will be “sunny, breezy and pleasant”, while Saturday will be “sunny and cooler” and Sunday will have “plenty of sunshine”.

As per the Saws’ seven-day weather report, humidity levels will be 60% on Thursday morning, and drop to 30% by 8pm, with clear skies during the day, and partly cloudy conditions at night.

Snowfall in Northern Cape

The images below were taken at the Sutherland Observatory in the Northern Cape on 19 August 2021.