Extreme weather alert: Can Mpumalanga expect snow this weekend?

The Citizen

2 days ago

Brace yourself as extremely cold weather conditions are possible over the weekend.
Almost two years ago the Long Tom Pass turned into a winter wonderland, capturing the hearts of locals and visitors alike.
According to SAWS, a spell of extreme winter weather is starting this weekend, with snowfalls possible over all provinces, except Limpopo. 'In the coming days, a particularly intense cut-off low (COL) system, associated with severe winter weather, is expected to affect South Africa, persisting until at least the middle of next week over the eastern provinces.
'Early on Saturday morning, this system will begin affecting the Western and Northern Cape. By Monday and Tuesday, this extensive and severe winter weather system will have shifted further east over South Africa, affecting the central and eastern provinces. A significant drop in daytime temperatures can be expected over all provinces, with the possible exception of Limpopo. Consequently, farmers of small stock are strongly advised to implement appropriate measures to prevent stock losses due to exposure,' said SAWS in a statement.
ALSO READ: Long Tom Pass's snowfall of a year ago revisited
Some of the more extreme weather impacts associated with this system include the following:
Snowfalls over almost every province, with the exception of Limpopo. Some of these snowfalls will be disruptive, affecting traffic flow over mountain passes (for example, the N3 at Van Reenen's pass).
Strong, damaging surface winds over large parts of the interior provinces from Sunday, leading to an elevated risk of wildfires, especially over the central and eastern interior, ahead of the cold change. These extreme conditions are expected to persist over some of the eastern provinces until Wednesday.
Strong to near-gale force coastal winds and very rough seas could be expected from Friday along the south-west coast, spreading to the south and east coasts during Saturday, and lasting until at least Tuesday along the east coast.
Heavy rainfall leading to localised flooding and infrastructure damage over parts of the Eastern Cape coast and adjacent interior on Sunday, shifting to southern KZN on Monday.
Bitterly cold daytime conditions over many provinces from Sunday, with maximum temperatures unlikely to exceed 10C°. These conditions will be exacerbated by strong, gusty winds.
ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Fun in snow-covered areas of Mpumalanga
There is also a risk of severe thunderstorms; possibly associated with damaging hail and/or damaging winds over some provinces, including North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KZN during Monday and Tuesday.
For the thousands of runners participating in the 2025 Comrades Ultramarathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban on Sunday, the SAWS expects predominantly mild to warm and windy conditions, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies. However, runners should be aware of a cool change in the weather, later in the day, when a coastal low and cold front are expected to move northwards up the KZN coast, introducing colder, more moist conditions to the coast and adjacent interior.
'There will be a risk of showers or thunderstorms developing over the Drakensberg, spreading to the coast in the evening. Given the intensity of the COL system, there is a low probability that Gauteng and the highveld region of Mpumalanga may experience light snowfalls on Monday night, extending into Tuesday. However, at this stage there is significant uncertainty amongst the various numeric weather prediction models in this regard,' SAWS says.
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