[WATCH] SAWS dismisses reports of widespread snowfall across SA as fake news
No snow is forecast to fall in Gauteng or surrounding provinces despite warnings of an intense cold front which will make landfall this week, says the South African Weather Service
In a statement on Sunday (August 22) the South African Weather Service dismissed the claims made on social media about snowfalls being forecast in Gauteng and surrounding provinces.
Senior forecaster Jacqueline Modika says the service has received numerous enquiries after social media posts, claiming widespread snowfall across all provinces, made the rounds this past weekend.
“As the authoritative voice of weather and alerts in South Africa the service dismisses the claims made and reiterate that the post is a hoax.”
🚫The video doing the rounds on social media forecasting snow for Gauteng next weekend is not true. Although a cold front is expected in South Africa later this week, numerical model predictions together with historical observations do not suggest snowfall in GP at this stage.
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) August 22, 2021
“We do, however, acknowledge an intense cold front that is expected to make landfall in the country on Thursday (August 26). The approaching intense cold front is expected to bring snowfall to the Western Cape high-lying areas and western and southern high-lying areas of the Northern Cape. The front is expected to spread to the eastern high-lying areas and the Drakensberg.”