Big chill! Snowfall for the Western Cape this weekend

Despite the warm weather experienced this week, the Western Cape is in for a chilly weekend, as snowfall is expected.

Intense cold fronts that will make landfall in parts of the country this weekend and early next week are expected to result in strong winds, high waves, heavy rainfall, light snow and a significant drop in temperatures, especially in the Western Cape. 

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) had earlier warned that very cold conditions are expected over the Western Cape and Namakwa District of the Northern Cape from Sunday into Wednesday.

SNOW EXPECTED IN WESTERN AND EASTERN CAPE

The Western Cape will reportedly be partly cloudy over the extreme western parts and along the south coast, otherwise fine and cool, but warm over along the extreme northern coastline.

SAWS said the wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south to south-westerly, but strong in places along the south coast in the morning. 

‘It will become south-easterly along the west coast in the evening. The expected UVB sunburn index is low.”

Temperatures are expected to drop significantly over the entire province and Namakwa district on Monday.

The weather service also said this cooling will spread eastwards, reaching Limpopo, Mpumalanga as well as KwaZulu-Natal between Wednesday, 15 June 2022 and Thursday, 16 June 2022. 

“With this cooling, freezing levels are expected to also drop significantly, resulting in light snowfall over the southern high ground of Namakwa, as well as the high – lying areas in the western interior of the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, spreading to the north- eastern high ground of the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.” 

SA Weather Service

FIRST SNOWFALL OF 2022 FOR WC

In May, the Western Cape recorded its first snow of 2022 in the Matroosberg Reserve, after temperatures plummeted in certain parts of the province.

Matroosberg is located about two-and-a-half hours north-east of Cape Town. It sits just above the town of De Doorns, and the first place you’ll come to heading west from here is Ceres. The tourist favourite is a popular choice for snow-chasers and winter lovers alike.

By: Nokwanda Ncwane

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