Weather: Gale-force winds and rough seas along SA coast

The South African Weather Service (Saws) issued Yellow Level 2 warnings for gale-force winds and rough sea conditions along the coastal regions in the Northern and Western Cape.

The alert is valid from 3pm on Tuesday 18 January until 12pm on Thursday, 20 January. Here’s what you need to know.

Weather update 18 January

Gale-force winds

The weather service warns of strong to gale-force winds (south-westerly) of 50 to 70 kilometres per hour between Cape Point and Plettenberg Bay on Tuesday afternoon.

From Wednesday, winds will “drop down”, but the weather service warns that wave heights are expected to increase to four or six metres along the entire coastline throughout Wednesday morning.

Wave heights may reach up to seven metres along the southwest coast on Wednesday. This will result in a spring tide when waves reach further up the beach.

Rough sea conditions

These wind conditions may result in difficulty navigating small vessels and personal watercraft; vessels are at risk of taking on excessive water and capsizing.

“This will cause rough and choppy seas with quick successive, steep waves”, Saws said in the alert.

The conditions could also disrupt local small harbours or ports for short periods of time, and localised damage to infrastructure is expected.

Furthermore, these weather conditions will disrupt beachfront activities. Beachgoers may be at risk of being “swept off coastal rocks due to infrequent large waves” on Wednesday and Thursday.

Flooding in Free State

Meanwhile, the Free State Department of Education called on teachers and pupils to exercise extreme caution amid heavy rains in QwaQwa.

The department suspended schooling in Qwa Qwa on Monday due to the heavy downpour which resulted in damage to infrastructure and limited the movement of residents.

Residents are urged to remain indoors, while those in low-lying areas may experience flooding and should take extra caution to avoid fast-moving floodwater.

The department of education encouraged parents and teachers to help in emphasising these precautionary measures at home and at school.

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