Maritime mayhem: Turbulent forecast along SA’s coast on Wednesday

The SA Weather Service (Saws) warns of rough seas tomorrow, 26 July. Seafarers should brace for a tempestuous journey.

Here is the forecast and weather warnings issued for Wednesday.

Weather forecast, 26 July

A Yellow Level 1 Warning had been issued for Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas, heralding conditions difficult for small vessels and personal watercraft from Wednesday evening.

These conditions are expected to extend to Plettenberg Bay and Alexander Bay by Thursday, easing off by late afternoon.

Regional weather forecast

Farmers in the Western Cape and Namakwa District of the Northern Cape are urged to prepare for a disruptive weekend as well.

An intense cut-off low-pressure system is forecasted to usher in heavy rain, damaging winds, formidable waves, storm surges, disruptive snow, and chilling conditions from 29 to 30 July.

Gauteng

In Gauteng, the weather remains agreeable with a partly cloudy and cool forecast. Residents should bear in mind the high UVB sunburn index.

This will change over the weekend, though, with another cold front sweeping in.

Mpumalanga

Over in Mpumalanga, residents can expect morning fog over the Highveld and escarpment.

However, the day will morph into a partly cloudy, cold to cool, but pleasantly warm afternoon over the Lowveld.

Limpopo

The outlook for Limpopo promises a morning fog over central parts with the day progressing into cloudy and cool to warm weather.

Expect the clouds to part slightly in the southern regions by the afternoon.

North-West Province and the Free State

North-West Province and the Free State can both look forward to partly cloudy and cool to warm conditions.

The latter, however, might see isolated to scattered showers in the south.

Northern Cape

The Northern Cape anticipates a partly cloudy day with temperatures ranging from cold to cool, becoming colder in the south.

Isolated to scattered showers are expected in the south, with the southwest seeing an increase in showers.

Coastal wind speeds are expected to fluctuate from fresh to strong southeasterly winds, becoming light to moderate north-westerly by the evening.

Western Cape

For the Western Cape, residents can expect a mostly cloudy to partly cloudy day, with cold to cool temperatures.

Isolated showers and thundershowers might grace the northern interior.

Eastern Cape

The western and eastern halves of the Eastern Cape can anticipate fine and warm conditions, cooling along the coast and adjacent interior.

However, the weather could turn cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers making an appearance in places in the north.

KwaZulu-Natal weather

KwaZulu-Natal predicts a fine and warm day, with a high UVB sunburn index. The northern interior might witness some morning fog and partly cloudy skies in the north-east.

Coastal winds in this region are expected to be moderate to fresh north-easterly.