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Weather alert: Brace for intense rainfall, more flooding, cold front
Disruptive rainfall could lead to further flooding and damage to infrastructure. Plus, there's another cold front coming in.
Motorists drive along a flooded Milner Road, in Paarden Eiland, on 12 June in Cape Town. Photo: Gallo images/ Gie Burger/Jaco Marais
Brace for a significant downpour, more flooding and another cold front in the Western Cape as weather conditions deteriorate.
The latest weather alerts come amidst concern for safety and potential disruptions to essential services, prompting an advisory from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Weather alerts
Severe weather conditions have battered parts of the Western Cape over the past three days, resulting in flooding.
Here’s what to expect this week.
Rainfall and flooding
This South African Weather Service (Saws) says this system is projected to result in significant rainfall, primarily affecting the western parts of the Western Cape on Monday.
Saws also issued a Yellow Level 4 warning, forecasting disruptive rain across the Western Cape and along coastal regions.
Rainfall accumulations for the region could reach between 15 to 30mm.
The weather service predicts these conditions could escalate to 40 and 50mm in the mountainous areas of the Cape Winelands.
The warning – valid from midnight today until late Monday, 19 June – comes in anticipation of another cold front.
This alert also includes the north-western Overberg district.
The soil, already saturated from recent weather, may exacerbate flooding due to swollen rivers and flooded areas.
Cold front
The South African Weather Service said these conditions will be accompanied by another cold front.
As the day progresses, the chilly conditions will spread towards the east, with an expected improvement by the afternoon.
The current weather conditions may likely lead to significant infrastructure damage and access road closures.
Take precautions
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) urged residents in affected communities to exercise extra caution during the ongoing heavy rains.
DWS advice includes precautions around low-lying bridges, avoiding recreational activities near water systems, and careful driving, particularly in wet conditions.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Provincial Government identified Ceres and Citrusdal as the areas hardest hit by the flooding and heavy rain.
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