Light snowfall expected over the southern Drakensberg

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a level 2 warning for disruptive rain over the Kouga LM and Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday.

According to the weather service, this will lead to localised flooding of susceptible settlements, roads, low lying areas and bridges.

“A cold front with a ridging high is expected to bring rain and showers over the south coast with amounts for the evening ranging between 20 and 30mm. Due to the previous rainfall event, soil moisture levels should still be high, enhancing the risk of flooding, especially during the morning.”

The Eastern Cape is still picking up the pieces from the recent floods, which left at least 1,700 residents in Nelson Mandela Bay displaced.

Provincial disaster management teams remain on high alert.

Isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers expected over the eastern and southern parts of the country, said the weather service.

Light snowfall is expected over the southern Drakensberg at night.

Thursday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers The expected UVB sunburn index: high.

Mpumalanga: Cloudy in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers on the Highveld, but cold in places in the west.

Limpopo: Cloudy in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers in the west, spreading to the south-east in the afternoon.

North West: Fine and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers over the east.

Free State: Partly cloudy and cool with isolated showers and thundershowers except over the north-western parts.

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Northern Cape: Partly cloudy and cool to warm, with isolated showers and thundershowers over the southern parts where it will be cold becoming fine to partly cloudy from the afternoon.

The wind along the coast will be light and variable at first, otherwise moderate southerly to south-easterly.

Western Cape: Partly cloudy to cloudy and cold to cool with rain and isolated to scattered showers over the eastern half but widespread over the extreme east of the south coast. It will start to clear from the west in the afternoon.

Wind along the coast fresh to strong southerly, becoming light to moderate northerly to north-westerly between Betty’s Bay and Plettenberg Bay from the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: moderate.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cold with isolated showers and rain but scattered in the south. The wind along the coast will be Light to moderate south westerly.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cold with isolated showers and rain but scattered south of the escarpment. Light snowfalls expected over the southern Drakensberg at night.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly.

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KwaZulu-Natal: Partly cloudy and cool, becoming cloudy from the south with widespread showers and thundershowers along the south coast, otherwise scattered, but isolated in the north.

The wind along the coast will be gentle westerly to north-westerly at first, otherwise moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly. The expected UVB sunburn index: low.