Cold fronts to move into Cape next week, gale-force winds forecast

Two cold fronts are expected to develop early next week, says the South African Weather Service (Saws).

“On Monday a cold front will make landfall over the southwestern parts of the country, resulting in wet, cold and windy conditions over the western parts of the Western Cape. While this system will not be intense, it serves as a precursor to the more significant weather system that will follow.

“On Tuesday these weather conditions will spread to the east, affecting the Namakwa district of the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape.”

Rainfall accumulations are expected to range between 15 to 25mm, with a possibility of reaching 30 to 50mm in mountainous areas.

Strong and gusty westerly to northwesterly winds, with wind speeds averaging between 55 and 65km/h, are expected across the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape, especially over the interior.

“Possible impacts might result in outdoor activities being disrupted, with a high likelihood of localised damage to infrastructure, uprooted trees, increased travelling time on the roads, problems for high-sided vehicles, especially along the national routes through the provinces, as well as disruptions to power lines,” Saws said.