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By Nicholas Zaal

Journalist


Weather update: Cold front to hit day after elections

While conditions will be fine until Wednesday, a cold front is expected to move into the Western Cape from Thursday.


Come election day there there will be no excuse, at least weather-wise, to go out and cast your vote.

The SA Weather Service predicts sunny and fine conditions in the days leading up to Wednesday, 29 May, and the day itself with neither be too hot nor too cold.

The day afterwards however, is another story.

Unusual for time of year

Sunny and cool conditions will continue to dominate most parts of the country during next week, while many of the northern provinces can even expect sunny and warm conditions, the service said.

The persistence of such mild, settled weather conditions is somewhat unusual for this time of year but will no doubt be welcomed by election officials as well as the public.

Weather conditions in the period between Monday, 27 May to Wednesday, 29 May are likely to remain predominantly free of rain and clouds. Rainfall, if any, is expected to be light and very localised nature.

Monday could see a few light showers along the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, whilst some early morning fog and drizzle patches can be expected along the eastern escarpment areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo on Tuesday.

At this stage, Wednesday is expected to remain dry and rain-free. A cold front will indeed be moving closer to the Western Cape on voting day, however, current numeric weather prediction models indicate that rainfall associated with the arrival of the cold front will only occur after Wednesday.

The service recommended that people wear sunblock, a hat and keep hydrated when standing in queues to vote.

Forecast for Friday 24 May

Weather warnings

In its regional forecast, SA Weather Service issued a yellow level 1 warning for damaging wind and waves resulting in difficulty in navigation at sea, as well as small vessels and personal watercraft at risk of taking on water and capsising in a locality can be expected between Saldanha Bay And Cape Agulhas.

Advisories

There are no advisories this time.

Provincial weather forecast

Gauteng:

Fine and warm.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very high.

Mpumalanga:

Early morning fog patches on the southern Highveld, otherwise fine and cool to warm becoming partly cloudy in the Lowveld in the afternoon.

Limpopo:

Fine and warm, becoming partly cloudy in the Lowveld in the afternoon.

North West Province:

Fine and cool to warm.

Free State:

Fine and cool, but partly cloudy over the south-western parts.

Northern Cape:

Morning fog along the extreme north coast and in the south-east, otherwise fine and cool to warm but partly cloudy over the southern parts.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly.

Western Cape:

Cloudy and cool over the eastern interior and south coast with early morning light rain in places in the extreme south-east, otherwise partly cloudy and warm in the west.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-easterly along the south coast, otherwise fresh to strong.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Cloudy and cool with isolated showers and rain over the western and southern parts, from early morning.

The wind along the coast will be light to moderate south-easterly.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Cloudy and cool with isolated showers and rain south of the escarpment but scattered along the coast.

The wind along the coast will be light easterly to south-easterly.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Partly cloudy in the morning with fog patches in the extreme south and north, otherwise cloudy and cool with isolated showers and rain in the east.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, reaching strong at times, becoming south-easterly from the late afternoon south of Richards Bay.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Low.

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