Western Cape disaster centre prepares for intense cold fronts from Sunday until Tuesday

It will be best to stay indoors while very cold and windy conditions batter much of South Africa until Tuesday. Snow is even expected in four provinces.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the province’s disaster management centre is preparing for the series of cold fronts.

Western Cape Disaster Management Centre prepares for a series of cold fronts hitting the province from Sunday until Friday next week.
05 July 2024

The Western Cape can expect a series of cold fronts with adverse weather conditions starting this weekend and continuing into most… pic.twitter.com/gRcGgRaJ0g

— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) July 5, 2024

Weather warnings, Saturday 6 July

In its regional forecast, the SA Weather Service issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging waves expected between Port Edward and Sodwana Bay on Saturday, leading to disruption of beachfront and harbours or port activities, difficulty in navigation, small vessels at risk of taking on water and capsising.

A Yellow Level 4 warning was issued for damaging wind and waves between Plettenberg Bay and Port Edward resulting in disruption to harbours and ports, and difficulty in navigation with vessels at risk of capsising, dragging anchors and breaking mooring lines.

Extremely high fire conditions are expected over Khai-Ma Local Municipality in the Northern Cape.

Warnings and advisories for Sunday to Monday

An intense cold front, with its deepening upper-air trough, will set in over the western parts of the country resulting in wet, very cold, windy conditions, very rough seas as well as snowfalls over the high- lying areas of the Cape provinces and the southern Free State from Sunday into Monday.

These cold to very cold and windy conditions are expected to spread into the central, eastern and northern provinces.

An Orange Level 6 warning was issued for disruptive rain leading to flooding of roads and (formal/informal) settlements over the West Coast, City of Cape Town, Western Cape Winelands, Valley And Overberg Districts of the Western Cape, but Yellow Level 2 over Matizikama, Cederberg, Hantam, Karoo Hoogland, Lainburg, Kanneland And Hessequa Local Municipalities Of The Western Cape.

An Orange Level 6 warning was issued for damaging coastal winds and waves leading to damage of coastal infrastructure along longer stretches of coastline, disruption to harbours or ports, difficulty in navigation with vessels at risk of capsising, dragging anchors and breaking mooring lines between Alexander Bay and Algoa Bay, spreading to Port Edward on Monday.

An Orange Level 6 warning was issued for damaging interior winds leading to structural damage over the southern West Coast, City Of Cape Town, Western Cape Winelands and Western Overberg Districts of the Western Cape.

A Yellow Level 4 warning was issued for damaging interior winds leading disruption to transport routes and travel services affected by wind, falling trees over the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape, northern parts of the West Coast District, as well as the central and eastern parts of the Western Cape.

A Yellow Level 4 warning was issued for disruptive snow leading to disruption and closure of mountain passes over the Hantam and Karoo Hoogland Local Municipalities of the Northern Cape, as well as Cederberg Municipalities including the Cape Winelands District of the Western Cape.

A Yellow Level 4 warning was issued for damaging winds resulting in damage to property, difficult driving conditions and communication and power interruptions over Alfred Nzo, OR Tambo, and Amathole District Municipalities of the Eastern Cape, as well as Ndlambe, Makana, Sundays River, Kouga, and Koukamma Local Municipalities of the Eastern Cape, and also Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Metro as well as over the southern half of both the Northern Cape and Free State.

An orange level 6 warning was issued for damaging winds resulting in damage to property/settlements and infrastructure, dangerous driving conditions and prolonged communication and power interruptions are expected over Alfred Nzo, OR Tambo, and Amathole District Municipalities of the Eastern Cape, as well as Ndlambe, Makana, Sundays River, Kouga, and Koukamma Local Municipalities of the Eastern Cape, and also the Nelson Mandela and Buffalo City Metro.

Provincial weather forecast, Saturday 6 July

Gauteng:

Fine and cool.

The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

Mpumalanga:

Fine and cold to cool but warm in the Lowveld.

Limpopo:

Fine and cool to warm.

North West Province:

Fine and cool.

Free State:

Fine and cold to cool.

Northern Cape:

Foggy in the morning over the southern interior, otherwise fine and cold to cool but warm over the coastal regions.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to north-easterly becoming north-westerly in the afternoon.

Western Cape:

Misty conditions are expected over the south-western interior in the morning, otherwise fine and cool to cold but warm along the west coastal areas.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-easterly to easterly, becoming moderate to fresh northerly to north-westerly along the west and south-west coast in the afternoon, but strong south of Cape Point.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Fine and cool, but partly cloudy in the south-east.

The wind along the coast will be light to moderate north-westerly in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh north-easterly.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Cloudy in places along the coast, otherwise fine and cool, but cold with morning frost in places in the north. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Fine and cool but cold in places in the west. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south to south-westerly, becoming light to moderate from the evening.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very high.