News24 | Another cold snap looms, with rain and damaging winds on the cards

Cold, wet and windy conditions are expected across parts of South Africa from Sunday into Tuesday.

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• Cold, wet and windy conditions are expected across parts of South Africa from Sunday into Tuesday.
• The Northern Cape and Western Cape face heavy rain, possible flooding, rough seas and gale-force winds from Sunday.
• The Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal could see showers, thunderstorms, damaging winds and colder temperatures from Monday.

Large parts of the country are expected to experience colder temperatures, heavy downpours, damaging winds and rough seas from Sunday into Tuesday.

On Saturday, senior forecaster at the SA Weather Service Tokelo Chiloane said a cut-off low weather system was expected to make landfall over the western parts of the country from Sunday, before moving eastwards.

“Cut-off lows are dominant or frequent during the transition seasons, meaning that they occur in autumn as well as spring. The cut-off low system, by its nature, is a cold system, so it brings cold air from the upper levels and brings it down.

“Whenever we are transitioning from summer to winter, or from winter to summer, cut-off lows are dominant this time of the year or frequent this time of the year,” Chiloane said.

The Northern Cape and Western Cape are expected to be among the first provinces affected, with a 60% to 80% chance of showers and thundershowers in affected areas from Sunday to Monday.

“We have an advisory for very cold temperatures in that region, particularly where the escarpment area is between the two provinces,” Chiloane said.

She said citizens could also expect strong and potentially damaging winds.

“We are also looking at heavy downpours, which can lead to flooding in some areas,” she said.

She said the weather service was still assessing which specific areas would be covered by warnings for heavy rainfall and flooding.

The system is further expected to produce rough to high seas and gale-force winds along the west and south-west coasts.

READ | Cars submerged in waterlogged roads as heavy rains pelt Joburg

The cut-off low is then expected to move eastwards, with conditions deteriorating across the central and eastern parts of the country from Monday into Tuesday.

Affected provinces include the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal.

“We are looking at a 30% to 60% chance of showers and thundershowers,” she said.

Strong and damaging winds are also expected over the central parts of the country, particularly the Free State, North West, parts of the Northern Cape, and the Eastern Cape.

“We are going to be having colder temperatures compared to today (Saturday), because today is a bit warmer, so temperatures will be affected,” she said.

She added that conditions along the Eastern Cape coastline would be monitored, saying that rough seas could develop there as the system moves eastwards.