SA braces for snow, wind, rain
2009-08-18 08:28
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Weather
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Kobus Pretorius and Fanie van Rooyen
Cape Town – Heavy rain, very strong wind and extremely cold temperatures have been forecast for the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape, as well as Free State and Lesotho.
Hezekiel Sebego, forecaster at the South African Weather Service, said on Monday that snow was expected over the western Highveld and in the Western and Northern Cape.
The cold front was expected to arrive in the Free Sate at midday on Wednesday, bringing very cold conditions to the southwestern parts of the country and the Free Sate.
Heavy rain has been forecast for the Western Cape, in particular the West Coast, Cape Metropole, Winelands and the western parts of the Overberg, for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Snow expected on mountains
Giel Hugo, a weather forecaster at Overberg Agri, said snow was expected in parts of the Western Cape.
Places like Sutherland, Ceres and almost all of the Boland mountains would get snow on Tuesday or Wednesday, along with freezing cold conditions.
The weather was expected to lift by the end of the week.
The cold front would reach Gauteng on Wednesday evening, resulting in cold and windy conditions in Johannesburg, Pretoria and surrounds.
Southern Cape needs rain
Rain was also forecast for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Lowveld.
"By Friday temperatures will gradually be rising all over the country," said Sebego.
Although most dams in the Western Cape are full, dry conditions in the Southern Cape have left farmers desperate for rain.
Regions surrounding George, Mossel Bay and Heidelberg have not had much rain this winter, but according to forecasters, this cold front would not bring much rain to these places.
Karl Opperman, executive head of Agri Western Cape said farmers in the province needed rain badly.
