Dams overflowing but more rain forecast for Cape Town and surrounds

All but one of Cape Town’s dams are overflowing, with an overall storage rate of 99.3% after the latest cold front, says the city’s latest dam report.

The dams are 5.4% fuller than a week ago and more than 20% fuller than this time four years ago. 

Theewaterskloof, the city’s biggest dam, overflowed this week, at 103.9%, while Steenbras Upper, the smallest dam, has been overflowing for the past two weeks and is now 100.3% full.

“Though early winter rains have been above average, the city will continue to monitor these levels and it is still important to continue using water wisely,” said the city.

“The SA Weather Service has issued an advisory for orange level 5 disruptive rainfall over Cape Town and surrounding municipalities on Saturday,” said the city’s disaster risk management spokesperson Charlotte Powell.

“Cape Town has experienced significant rainfall already this month, so the soil and waterways in many parts of the city remain saturated. All city services will be put on standby.

“We advise the public to please take heed of the advisory, and to start implementing any possible mitigation measures around their properties in the interim.

“This includes clearing out drainage systems and cleaning gutters, removing dead tree branches and other obstructions, and digging trenches around their homes to divert water.”

Vox Weather forecast the possibility of snow at the weekend over the mountain peaks of the Western Cape including the Matroosberg, Cederberg and Swartberg mountain ranges and the Nuweveld and Roggeveld mountains as well as Sutherland in the Northern Cape.

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