Heavy rain, floods, snow on the cards

 – Edited by Bev Mortimer – Bad weather predictions – batten down the hatches! Heavy rain, floods, snow on the cards…

Rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are forecast in the southern and Eastern parts of South Africa. The Eastern Cape is likely to be cold with widespread showers and rain, while parts of KwaZulu-Natal face a more serious risk of disruptive rainfall and flooding.

Homes could be swamped and people displaced. Very cold conditions are predicted over higher-lying areas, with the possibility of snowfall in the mountains of the Eastern Cape and high-lying areas of Lesotho.

 This is according to  SA weather bureau and Snow Report warnings that anticpate, from today, the weather will be very cold, wet and windy. And bad weather predictions could last till Saturday. Homes could be swamped and people displaced.

Along the East coast there are predictions are for disruptive rainfall, plus flooding of roads and settlements and fast-flowing streams. Communities’ homes, where there inadequate or no storm water drainage, could be swamped. People could be displaced from their dwellings and livestock are said to be at risk along the coastal areas.

And what’s more there are predictions of heavy snow in South Africa and Lesotho. In the Eastern Cape  the high-ground around Nieu-Bethesda, Graaff-Reinet, Middelburg, Cradock, Hogsback, Maclear and Matatiele could see snow, according to Snow Report .

And in high elevations around  Barkly East, Khowa (Elliot) and Rhodes there could be more than 10 cms of snow, tomorrow and on Friday. Other areas, often prone to snow in colder climes, are also likely to see snow including the Drakensberg, Underberg, Himeville and Sani Pass. In the Northern Cape around Sutherland, and in the Western Cape  in areas like Worcester, Beaufort West, Ouddtshoorn and Prince Albert snowfalls can be expexected according to weather preictions.

Colder conditions are forecast for the Eastern Cape,  KwaZulu-Natal, southern parts of the Northern Cape as well as Cape Winelands, Central Karoo and Little Karoo districts and parts of the Free State until Friday.

Along the East coast there could be disruptive rainfall, plus flooding of roads and settlements and fast flowing streams. Communities’ homes where there is no storm water drainage could be swamped, and livestock are said to be at risk along the coastal areas.

On the whole in the Eastern Cape it will be cloudy and cold to extreme cold, with showers and rain on the coast but scattered in the north and the extreme west. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-easterly.

The unsettled conditions could last until Saturday, with showers and thunder showers  more widespread in the south-east. Some areas could experience localised flooding, particularly where heavy rain falls over low-lying areas, roads and smaller rivers and streams.

The Eastern Cape warning also refers to localised flooding of settlements, roads and low-lying bridges. And heavy rain could cause some localised flooding in vulnerable communities, particularly where there is inadequate or no stormwater drainage.

Homes in low-lying areas could be swamped by run-offs, with some residents could be forced from their homes if rainfall becomes sufficiently intense. Roads, bridges and other infrastructure could also be affected, while fast-flowing water presents a danger to people and livestock