No end in sight for SA cold

(Schalk van Zuydam, AP)

Cape Town – There is no end in sight for the cold weather currently plaguing South Africa.

The South African Weather Service warned of another strong cold front for most of the country over the coming weekend.

A cold front struck most of the country over the weekend, flooding parts of Cape Town and displacing many.

“No recovery from the cold is currently expected,” Elizabeth Webster, a forecaster at the SA Weather Service told News 24.

Cold fronts

Parts of South Africa will be hit by a series of weak cold fronts over the next week.

Two weak cold fronts will brush over the southern west coast of the country over the next 48 hours, especially affecting Cape Town.

A stronger cold front is expected towards the end of the week in most of the country, which brings likelihood of snow and flooding. The SA Weather Service is monitoring the situation.

Southern parts of the country and western parts of the Northern Cape can also expect a dip in temperatures on Wednesday.

There are currently very rough seas in “quite a big area” from Alexander Bay to Port Edward, Webster said.

Residents of the Eastern Cape and Free State were told to expect very cold temperatures, with possible rain in various parts of the Eastern Cape.

Over the next 24 hours the mercury in Cape Town will not rise higher than 16°C while Johannesburg will see a maximum of 21°C.

Flooding

Cape Town Disaster Management received about 348 calls about flooding in the area over the weekend, Die Burger reported.

About 2 500 people were given assistance by emergency services and helped with food and blankets on Saturday and Sunday.

Twenty-five contestants auditioning for this year’s SA’s Got Talent, were also displaced from Observatory, in Cape Town, when the Liesbeek River flooded.

Various roads were also flooded. The M3 close to the University of Cape Town was a mess as people struggled to cross the flooded highway.

Niek Koegelenberg of the Cape Town Weather Office told News24 the weather currently experienced is nothing unusual. “This is winter,” he emphasised.

A temporary clearance in rain in Cape Town is expected before Tuesday evening, when rain is expected to start again.

- News24