By The South African Weather Services (SAWS) has issued a warning on icy disruptive weather across the country from Sunday 7 July to Tuesday 9 July 2024.
Citizens are warned of the disruptive weather, and as some members of society will be taking measures to warm themselves and their loved ones, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) appeals to the residents to apply caution in the methods they use to warm their homes.
According to SAWS, the cold SNAP will take place over a period of three days. Farmers will feel the brunt and are cautioned to make the necessary arrangements.
“Several cold fronts are expected to reach South Africa’s shores during the coming week. The first weather system of the series is an intense cold front that is expected to affect the western and central parts of the country from Sunday, 7 July 2024, and the Eastern parts from Monday, 8 July 2024.
This system is expected to bring about widespread and disruptive snowfall over the Southern and Western high ground, accompanied by damaging winds over the interior as well as the coastline, high seas along the coastal areas and very cold conditions over a significant part of the country. Heavy rainfall is also expected over the western parts of the Western Cape, where flooding is likely.
The public and small stock farmers are advised to take the necessary precautions ahead of the expected adverse weather conditions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their animals,” said SAWS.
The adverse weather may affect farmers and the general community as follows: loss of vulnerable small livestock and crops, cold related illnesses, Roll-over of high sided motor vehicles due to strong winds and significant damage to informal settlement and temporary structures due to winds.
Residents of Bloemfontein may also expect light snow fall according to the weather services.
“Widespread snowfall is expected to occur over the mountains of the Western Cape and the western and southern high ground of the Northern Cape from Sunday afternoon but will spread to the Eastern Cape mountains in the evening. While light snowfall may even extend as far as Prieska in the Northern Cape and Bloemfontein in the Free State, heavier and more disruptive snowfall of 15 to 30 cm that may lead to the closure of roads and mountain passes, as well as loss of vulnerable livestock, can be expected over the southern high-ground of the Northern Cape and the western high-ground of the Western Cape,” said SAWS.
SAWS says the cold front will exit the country on Tuesday morning (9 July 2024), while another cold front will be approaching the Western Cape. Tuesday morning will be the coldest morning of the year so far, with many localities over the interior of the country expected to drop well below freezing, with widespread morning frost anticipated. However, daytime temperatures are expected to recover quickly.
Residents are encouraged to have emergency numbers ready in case of an emergency during the cold front period.
