Cold and icy weather conditions with gale force winds, thunder showers, rough seas, heavy rains and flooding are expected in various parts of the country from tomorrow, Wednesday 17 April 2013, and continuing until at least Saturday (20 April).
This is according to Alexander Forbes in a warning to its clients today. The insurance company says it was advised of the following adverse weather conditions by the South African Weather Service today:
While the majority of South Africa is currently experiencing sunny and warm conditions, the western parts of Western and Northern Cape provinces have been hit by a cold front resulting in cold; wet and windy conditions. Another cold front is expected to reach Cape Town on Wednesday and further extreme weather conditions are expected.
The cold front will be accompanied by an upper air trough (an extension of a low pressure area high in the atmosphere) and this will result in the development of thundershowers over the central interior through to the south-east coast on Wednesday. It (the trough) is expected to intensify on Thursday and Friday leading to the thundershowers becoming widespread over the eastern half of the country.
The public is alerted to the following severe weather conditions:
• Gale force north-westerly to westerly winds are expected along the coast between Cape Columbine and Cape Agulhas as well as the Cape Winelands and Karoo on Tuesday and Wednesday. Strong to gale force westerly winds is expected to spread along the south coast to reach Port Elizabeth on Thursday morning.
• Very rough seas (4-6m) are expected to develop between Table Bay and Cape Agulhas tonight (Tuesday), spreading to Cape Columbine and Plettenberg Bay on Wednesday. Ships (especially smaller ones) are advised (if possible) to modify their sailing schedule and to make every effort to avoid traversing the region mentioned above.
• Heavy rains are expected overnight (Tuesday to Wednesday) over the Cape Metropole, Cape Winelands and Overberg districts of the Western Cape. The public is thus alerted to the danger of flooding in places. An intensification of the upper trough is expected from Thursday and this will lead to the risk of heavy rains in places over KwaZulu-Natal as well as southern and western parts of Mpumalanga on Friday and Saturday. Scattered to widespread thundershowers are also expected in Gauteng between Thursday night and Saturday.
• Cold to very cold conditions will set in over the high ground areas of the Western and Northern Cape provinces on Wednesday, spreading to the Eastern Cape, southern Free State and southern KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday. It will become cold over the rest of Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Gauteng on Friday and Saturday. Snowfall is expected from Thursday over the southern parts of the Drakensburg Mountains.
(edited)
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