South Africa is set for a weekend of contrasting weather, with Saturday bringing mostly settled but chilly conditions across much of the country before a powerful cold front reaches the south-west on Sunday, bringing widespread rain, strong winds and much colder weather to parts of the Western Cape.
Saturday will be a cool winter’s day for most provinces, with morning fog affecting parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the eastern Free State. Dense fog over the Highveld and the Mpumalanga escarpment may reduce visibility early in the day, making driving conditions hazardous.
Fog and drizzle are also expected along the escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo before skies gradually become partly cloudy.
Rainfall will be limited on Saturday, with only a 30% chance of isolated showers and thundershowers over the extreme north-west of the North West Province and the northern parts of the Northern Cape, including areas around Upington.
A separate 30% chance of isolated showers is also expected over the far north-eastern parts of Limpopo. The remainder of the country is forecast to stay dry with a mix of sunshine and passing cloud.
Temperatures will remain cool to cold across the interior, while conditions will be slightly warmer along parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where dry weather is expected to dominate.
The weather changes significantly on Sunday as a strong cold front moves into the Western Cape. Rain will spread across the province, with an 80% chance of widespread rainfall over the City of Cape Town and surrounding south-western areas.
A 60% chance of scattered rain is expected across the southern coastline, extending into parts of the Cape Winelands and Garden Route, while a 30 percent chance of isolated showers reaches the western interior and southern Northern Cape.
Heavy rainfall may lead to localised flooding in susceptible areas around Cape Town and the Cape Winelands, while strong north-westerly winds and rough seas will create hazardous conditions along the south-west coast.
Very cold, wet and windy weather will develop across the Western Cape and southern Namakwa, with these conditions spreading eastwards into the Central and Little Karoo early next week.
Elsewhere, Sunday remains largely dry with a mix of sunshine and cloud across the central and eastern parts of the country.
Morning fog will once again affect some inland areas before clearing, while cool to warm temperatures are expected from the Free State eastwards into KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
It will be a weekend that starts quietly for most South Africans, but residents in the Western Cape should prepare for a significant deterioration in weather on Sunday as the first impactful winter system of the weekend moves ashore.
IOL News
Wendy Dondolo
iol.co.za
