SA Weather Service issues level 5 warning for disruptive rain on Wednesday

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued an orange level 5 warning for disruptive rain leading to flooding of roads and settlements (formal and informal) as well as damage to property over
the David Kruiper Kai !Garib, Joe Morolong, Tsantsabane and !Kheis local municipalities of the Northern Cape province on Wednesday.

A yellow level 2 warning for disruptive rain and severe thunderstorms has also been issued over the Siyathemba, Siyancuma and Francis Baard local municipalities of the same province on Wednesday.

According to the weather service, the disruptive rain will lead to flooding of roads and settlements (formal and informal) as well as damage to property.

A cut-off low pressure system which developed along the coast of Namibia on Sunday moved over the Northern Cape on Tuesday, said the weather service.

Cut-off lows are associated with widespread instability in the atmosphere, which can promote periods of prolonged rainfall.

“Showers and thundershowers can be expected over parts of the Cape provinces from Monday onwards with associated cold daytime temperatures and windy conditions while spreading to parts of the Free State and North West on Tuesday night and Wednesday,” warned the weather service.

“Unseasonal (but not uncommon) 24-hour rainfall of 20 to 35 mm can be expected over parts of the
Northern Cape, Free State and North West. The onset of the rainfall is expected over the Northern Cape
on Monday, while spreading to the Free State and North West on Tuesday night. Strong gusty winds of 50
km/h can also be expected over these areas from Monday. Although cold daytime temperatures are
expected, snowfalls are likely to be confined to the Drakensberg regions and Lesotho on Wednesday,
spreading to the high-lying areas of the Western and Eastern Cape on Thursday.”

Wednesday’s weather forecast:

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

Mpumalanga: Cloudy with light rain in the extreme east and morning fog patches along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy cold to cool, but warm in the Lowveld.

Limpopo: Cloudy with light rain in the extreme east and morning fog patches along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and cool.

North West: Cloudy and cold to cool, with isolated showers and thundershowers in the west, but scattered in the extreme west.

Free State: Morning fog patches in the east, otherwise cloudy and cold to cool, with isolated showers and thundershowers in the west and central parts but scattered in the extreme north-west.

Northern Cape: Cloudy and cold to cool with isolated showers and thundershowers but widespread in the northern interior. The wind along the coast will be light and variable, becoming westerly to north-westerly from late afternoon.

Western Cape: Partly cloudy and cool, becoming cloudy with isolated showers and rain over the north-eastern parts, spreading along the extreme northern parts by the afternoon. It will become cloudy over the rest of the province by the evening, when light rain is expected over the north-western and extreme south-western parts.

The wind along the coast will be light and variable north of Cape Columbine, otherwise light to moderate north-easterly, but south to south-easterly along the south-west coast. The expected UVB sunburn index: Low.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy to cloudy and cool. The wind along the coast will be Fresh to strong north-easterly, but light to moderate easterly, west of St Francis.

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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy with fog in places south of the escarpment at first, otherwise partly cloudy and cool. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-easterly, reaching strong in places.

KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy to cloudy and cool but cold in places in the west, with isolated showers and rain in the north. The wind along the coast will be Gentle northerly to north-westerly south of Richard’s Bay at first, otherwise moderate to fresh easterly to north-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.