SAWS Issues Severe Weather Warnings for Snow, Damaging Winds Across 5 Provinces

• The South African Weather Service issued warnings for damaging winds, disruptive snow, and severe thunderstorms affecting multiple provinces this week
• Snowfall of 2cm to 8cm is forecast along the Lesotho border, with SAWS warning of icy roads, railway disruptions, and pass closures
• An intense cold front is set to bring large hail, heavy rain, and cold conditions persisting into Wednesday across central and eastern regions

SOUTH AFRICA — The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued multiple severe weather warnings covering cold conditions, damaging winds, and disruptive snowfall expected to affect several provinces from Sunday through to mid-week.

A Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging winds is in place for the central interior. On Sunday, surface winds of 50 to 60 km/h with gusts reaching up to 90 km/h were forecast over the south of the Northern Cape and the extreme west of the Free State. Those conditions are set to extend on Monday across the eastern Northern Cape, most of the Free State, and the extreme southwest of the North West. The Eastern Cape's Joe Gqabi District Municipality is also under a wind warning, with gusts forecast to reach up to 90 km/h over the northern interior.

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Government urges public to stay safe after cold front warning as multiple provinces brace for snow

Snow forecast across 5 provinces

SAWS has projected snowfall across five provinces: parts of the Eastern Cape, the eastern and southern Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and parts of Gauteng. Along the Lesotho border in the south and eastern Free State, accumulations of 2cm to 8cm are expected on Monday, raising the risk of icy roads, railway disruptions, and the temporary closure of non-major mountain passes. A Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive snow is valid from 10 to 11 August for the extreme western interior of KwaZulu-Natal, with snowfall continuing over the south-western parts of the province through to Tuesday.

Cold front to bring hail and heavy rain

An intense cold front moving through the region is expected to produce scattered showers and disruptive rain across western and southern KwaZulu-Natal. Severe thunderstorms are forecast in the Free State on Monday, with rainfall accumulations of 20mm to 40mm and large hail in open areas.

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The Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) has closed the R617 and diverted traffic to the R56 after snowfall hit Kokstad, Underberg, Matatiele, and Clifton near Nottingham Road, leaving one truck stuck near Kingscot. KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma commended the RTI for deploying its Snowfall Response Plan to clear roads before snow exceeds 30cm and prevent motorists or "snow chasers" from becoming trapped. Urging the public to stay indoors, Duma noted that climate-driven extreme weather damaging roads will be addressed at October's Transport Indaba.

SAWS has warned of a range of potential impacts, including damage to formal and informal settlements, power and communication outages, losses to livestock and crops, and significant traffic disruptions. Cold to very cold conditions accompanied by isolated to scattered rainfall are expected to persist across central and eastern areas on Tuesday and Wednesday as the system moves through.

View SAWS' post on Facebook here:

Government urges caution ahead of cold weather

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the major cold front sweeping across South Africa, bringing dangerous weather conditions, including heavy rain, strong winds, and significant snowfall to multiple provinces. Authorities have issued critical safety instructions for residents, motorists, and farmers to ensure their well-being during this severe weather event.

Source: Briefly News