SOUTHERN CAPE NEWS - Following an extended period of unseasonally mild and settled weather over much of South Africa, conditions are expected to start deteriorating over parts of the country from today (Tuesday, August 6) on wards. A cold front accompanied by an upper air trough (characterized by stronger winds aloft and a general increase in atmospheric instability) will cause rainy, very cold and windy conditions to set in over the South-Western parts of the Western Cape. These conditions will spread rapidly to the remainder of the Western Cape, Southern parts of Northern Cape as well as the Western parts of the Eastern Cape by Tuesday evening. By tomorrow (Wednesday, August 7) the upper trough is expected to intensify into a cut-off low, slowing the eastward progress of the system across the country. Consequently, widespread showers are expected over the Western and Eastern Cape provinces. In particular, heavy falls of rain (greater than 50 mm per 24 hours) are likely along the Cape South Coast and adjacent interiors. Areas most likely to be affected are the Southern parts of the Cape Winelands, the Overberg and Eden district municipalities in the Western Cape as well as Kou-Kamma and Kouga local municipalities in the Eastern Cape. Residents in the abovementioned areas are thus alerted to the danger of flooding. Snowfalls are expected from early tomorrow morning over the South-Western mountains of the Western Cape and Northern Cape, spreading eastwards across the country to include Lesotho by Thursday. It should be noted that due to the extreme nature of this weather system, the freezing level (i.e. the lowest altitude at which sub-zero temperatures start being encountered in the atmosphere) is expected to be very low in places over the Eastern parts of the Western Cape as well as the Northern interior of the Eastern Cape. This will promote snowfalls not only over the mountains but over adjacent terrain at lower elevations as well. The public are advised that such snowfalls are highly likely to result in the temporary closure of certain mountain passes.
