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The South African Weather Services (SAWS) says a Spring cut-off low-pressure system will bring about snow, and very cold, wet and windy conditions to southern and eastern South Africa this weekend.
Weather conditions are expected to change significantly as a cold front and cut-off low-pressure system will introduce wintery conditions to the Western Cape, southern parts of the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape from Thursday, 19 September 2024.
Disruptive snowfall and bitterly cold conditions are expected to affect the high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape (especially the northeastern high ground) from Thursday.
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 health of their animals.
A cold front arrived in the Western Cape on Wednesday spread to the Garden Route and Little Karoo and will arrive in the Eastern Cape on Thursday.
It will be cold to very cold over parts of the Western Cape interior and the Eastern Cape on Thursday with strong to near-gale force winds with rough seas of 4,0 to 6,0 m likely along the Western Cape coast, spreading to parts of the Eastern Cape coast overnight.
Light snowfalls are likely to occur over the eastern mountains of the Western Cape and the northern high ground and mountains of the Eastern Cape, mainly from Thursday afternoon into the evening, while becoming disruptive over the north-eastern high ground of the Eastern Cape later in the evening.
An intense cut-off low-pressure system will develop along the border of the Northern and Eastern Cape provinces and will move into the southern parts of the Free State in the
evening.
This system will result in widespread showers and thundershowers over parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with possible heavy rainfall along the coastal regions.
Bitterly cold daytime temperatures of 4 to 8°C can be expected over the high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape, the eastern Free State, and the interior of KwaZulu-Natal, where widespread snowfall is likely.
Current numerical weather prediction models indicate the possibility of light snowfall over the southern parts of Gauteng and the remainder of the Highveld of Mpumalanga on Saturday morning.
The South African Weather Services (SAWS), however, says there is significant uncertainty regarding this outlook, as the forecast may still change.
Disruptive snowfall of 15 to 30 cm can be expected over the northeastern high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape and might result in the closure of mountain passes, loss of livestock and crops, and affect major public routes.
