Several weather offices saw their record high temperatures break by as much as 1,5°C.Picture: iStock
The SA Weather Service has confirmed this past heatwave was record-breaking, with temperatures reaching new heights in the Northern Cape, Free State and North West, especially on Monday.
“More than 10 stations recorded the highest maximum temperature records on the 27th, with the Automatic Weather Station at Augrabies Falls recording the highest maximum temperature of 46,7°C, breaking its previous record of 46,2°C (2019-11-28),” the weather service revealed in a media statement.
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“It must be noted that the highest maximum temperature record for Augrabies Falls remains at 48,6°C, measured on 2016-01-05, and the 46,7°C is the new record for the month of November.”
The weather service explained that the high heatwave temperatures, beginning on 19 November, were due to a “surface high pressure system that was assisted by convergence aloft”. The particular heatwave advisory ended on 28 November, though the Western Cape and Northern Cape have still experienced very high temperatures.
Many stations broke their November temperature records, and these can be read in the table below.
But noteworthy instances included four 63-year-old records breaking in Upington, Durban South, Kimberley and Kuruman.
In Upington, the record rose from 42,4°C on 28 November 2019 to 43,9°C on 23 November this year – a whole 1,5°C.
Bloemfontein Weather Office also saw a 61-year record break by 1,4°C when its 38,2°C record from 30 November 2016 was broken when the office recorded 39,6°C on 27 November.
The weather service issued a yellow level 1 warning of damaging winds resulting in difficulty in navigation at sea, disruption to ports, breaking mooring lines and dragging anchors expected between Cannon Rocks and Port Edward.
Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the eastern parts of Northern Cape, the north-eastern parts of Western Cape, in places over eastern cape as well as the western parts of North West Province and Free State.
Extremely uncomfortable conditions are expected over the Central Karoo in the Western Cape.
Extremely hot conditions (day temperatures of 40°C and above are expected in places over Central Karoo in the Western Cape.
Heatwave conditions resulting in persistently high temperatures over and above the average maximum are expected over Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North-West Province on Saturday, 2 December, but will include the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Free State on Sunday, persisting up to at least Tuesday, 5 December.
Gauteng:
Partly cloudy and warm.
The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme
Mpumalanga:
Morning fog patches along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm but hot in the Lowveld.
Limpopo:
Morning fog patches along the southern escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm.
North West Province
Partly cloudy and warm to hot.
Free State:
Partly cloudy and warm to hot.
Northern Cape:
Morning fog along the coast, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and hot to very hot with isolated showers and thundershowers over the central parts.
The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south- westerly.
Western Cape:
Cloudy along the coast in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot, but very hot in places over the interior. It will be extremely hot in places over the Central Karoo.
The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly along the south coast in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh south-westerly. It will become strong along the south coast by afternoon.
The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme
Western half of the Eastern Cape:
Extremely hot in places over interior, otherwise partly cloudy and very hot, but hot in places along the coast.
The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong south- westerly.
Eastern half of the Eastern Cape:
Hot in places in the north and along wild coast, otherwise fine and very hot, becoming partly cloudy along the coast the afternoon.
The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong north easterly, becoming light to moderate south westerly in the afternoon.
KwaZulu-Natal:
Morning fog patches over the interior, otherwise fine and warm to hot. It will be partly cloudy in the extreme north.
The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to northeasterly.
The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme
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