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The NSRI has issued a weather safety alert as the Eastern Cape coast continues to be battered by a strong south-westerly wind as a winter cold front sweeps through the region.
Nelson Mandela Bay was struck by a gale-force south-westerly late on Thursday afternoon which toppled trees and caused chaos in peak rush-hour traffic.
A full-size trampoline ended up on a neighbour’s roof and a wendy house found its final resting place in the middle of a street in New Brighton.
Damage was also reported in Kleinskool and Schauderville.
In Graaff- Reinet several trees were uprooted from the wind with significant damage being reported all over town. A large section of town had no power on Thursday night as live electrical wires were scattered over roads.
Residents in Buffalo City also reported strong winds which left parts of the Metro without power.
Big swells with wave heights of between 6 and 8 metres have been forecast for the Eastern Cape coastline in the coming days.
The NSRI is encouraging boaters, paddlers, sailboarders, anglers, fisherman and coastal hikers to always check SA Weather Services weather alerts when preparing to go into and around the ocean.
It says the approaching winter weather has seen several cold fronts over the past few weeks and that the latest one is causing rough seas and strong winds from the Western Cape coastline to beyond Port Alfred.
The NSRI says caution is always advised during adverse weather conditions.
On Friday, damaging waves can be expected in places between the Tsitsikamma coast and East London resulting in some localized damages to coastal infrastructure and the disruption of small harbours and/or ports.
Small vessels are at risk of taking on water and capsizing while small to medium vessels will have difficulty navigating as a result of the combination of damaging winds and high seas.
