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News24
04-07-2025
- Climate
- News24
More cold, wet weather to lash Western Cape over the weekend
More cold and wet weather is expected in the Western Cape over the weekend. Between 20 and 30mm of rain is expected. Authorities are on high alert for flooding and mudslides, with a week of wet weather having left the ground saturated. The Western Cape is expecting around 20 to 30mm of rain as more severe weather lashes the province. A series of cold fronts is expected to affect the province from Friday to Sunday. The most significant cold front is forecast to make landfall on Friday, bringing heavy downpours, strong winds, and the risk of flooding in several areas. A second cold front is expected on Sunday. According to Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell, the provincial Disaster Management Centre (DMC), as well as district centres, had been activated. Bredell said the DMC had been briefed by the South African Weather Services (SAWS) about the anticipated disruptive rainfall over large parts of the province. The SAWS has released an advisory warning that very cold, wet and windy conditions can be expected over the Western Cape into Sunday. Weather warnings are in place for disruptive rainfall, damaging winds and damaging waves. 'These warnings follow several days of significant rainfall that have already saturated soils across the province,' said Bredell. 'The forecasted rainfall may lead to flooding, mudslides, rockfalls, and falling trees, while the expected strong winds and wave action may cause hazardous conditions along the coast.' Weather forecast for today & tomorrow, 04 - 05 July 2025. Rain & showers are expected over the southern & eastern parts of the country, with possible disruptive rain and damaging winds over the south-western parts, as well as disruptive snow over the Drakensberg mountains. — SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) July 4, 2025 Bredell added that rescue workers were on standby to assist with flooding and mudslides, especially in low-lying areas and communities living alongside rivers. He said the DMC had carried out modelling to anticipate which areas were likely to be affected, and had deployed resources to those areas. The DMC would continue to monitor the conditions, especially as weather patterns could shift very quickly. Bredell said that traffic officials were also on standby, and urged motorists to be extra cautious. Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku said that unsafe road conditions – including reduced visibility, waterlogged surfaces, and flooding of low-lying areas and bridges – could be expected. 'We call on all residents and visitors to the Western Cape to prioritise safety as inclement weather conditions set in. Our Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement officers will monitor high-risk routes, attend to road closures where needed, and respond to incidents to keep our road network as safe as possible. We ask all road users to do their part by driving responsibly and remaining alert,' he added. Sileku said the Western Cape and local traffic officers remained on high alert and would provide assistance where needed. Bredell added that the Department of Water and Sanitation had confirmed that provincial dam levels had increased from 60% to 67% following recent rainfall. As a precautionary measure, the department had increased the frequency of its dam monitoring efforts across the province, he said. 'We welcome the boost to our water resources, but we remain alert to the risks associated with these weather systems. 'We call on farmers and landowners to regularly inspect their dams and water infrastructure, and to report any signs of strain or overflow to their local disaster centres.'
News24
24-06-2025
- Climate
- News24
Cold front alert! SA Weather Services warns Mzansi to prepare for intense cold front
Winter is in full swing. The nights are longer while the days are chillier. The South African Weather Services has issued yet another urgent warning, just weeks after alerting the nation to hazardous weather conditions that tragically turned disastrous in the Mthatha region of the Eastern Cape. On Monday June 23, 2025 the South African Weather Services (SAWS) hosted an urgent media briefing regarding potentially dangerous weather conditions that could affect the region, particularly the western mountain ranges of the Western Cape and the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape from Wednesday to Friday, 25 to 27 June 2025. Senior manager of SA Weather Services, Rudzani Malala together with meteorologist and weather forecaster, Lehlohonolo Thobela have urged residents in the Northern Cape and Western Cape to prepare for a severe cold front that might bring snowfall, strong winds, and a lot of rainfall. According to Lehlohonolo, the cold front is expected to move through the provinces from Wednesday to Friday, with high-lying areas experiencing temperatures below 10°C, and rough sea winds with wave heights of 5.5 to 7.5 metres are expected to affect the coastlines. View this post on Instagram A post shared by South African Weather Service (@southafricanweatherservice) 'Heavy rainfall leading to possible localised flooding can be expected over the western parts of the Western Cape. There will also be strong to gale-force coastal winds and very rough seas,' he said. Motorists are also advised to be cautious and observe safety precautions as driving conditions could become dangerous due to wet and slippery roads with strong gusting winds over the interior predicted to uproot trees and cause potential damage to buildings. Read more | SAMA urges caution as flu cases surge and new COVID-19 variant emerges Thobela added that the Eastern Cape, which is already susceptible to weather-related effects, would be impacted as the system advances east, he emphasised that the main concern is the powerful, destructive winds that are predicted to blow through most of the province on Thursday. 'The key concern is the strong damaging winds expected across most parts of the province on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Interior winds are expected to pick up and spread over the remainder of eastern provinces on Thursday and Friday, 26 and 27 June 2025, with daytime temperatures dropping to the cold category,' he stated. Moreover, Gauteng residents are warned to anticipate a drop in temperature on Friday, persistent cold on Saturday, and a return to winter conditions on Sunday, however, no dangerous weather. 'It is just a drop in temperature; we don't have rainfall that is expected with the system,' he clarified.
IOL News
18-06-2025
- Climate
- IOL News
South African weather warnings: What they really mean
SA Weather Services (SAWS) issued several weather warnings for different parts the country this week. Image: File Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers Have you ever received a weather warning from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) and wondered what it really means? While the warnings use colours and numbers, you might be asking yourself: is it just a little rain, or something serious enough to cancel school, flood your home, or even threaten your life? We look into the meanings behind these weather warnings, how they can impact you, and how the Impact-Based Severe Weather Warning System transforms the way SAWS communicates weather risks. How it works The warnings follow a colour-coded system designed to show the severity of expected weather impacts. Green indicates a low-impact event with minimal disruption, yellow signals a minor impact that may require some caution, orange indicates a significant impact that could pose risks to safety and infrastructure, and red represents a high-impact event where serious consequences are likely, requiring immediate action. Now that we understand what the colours are, let's move on to the numbers. Each colour is paired with a number from 1 to 5 to indicate the likelihood of the event occurring, with 5 being the highest. In special circumstances, SAWS may indicate a '10', signalling an extreme certainty of a severe impact. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ For instance, a red level 10 warning means a dangerous weather event is almost certain. Think devastating floods, destructive winds or severe hail. This is when urgent action is required. This dual system allows citizens, schools, and local authorities to quickly understand both how bad the weather could be and how likely it is to happen. This approach has already shown its usefulness. Ahead of the infamous Cape Storm, SAWS warned disaster managers early enough that schools were pre-emptively closed, a move that likely prevented chaos and injury. The warning system was developed with the National Disaster Management Centre, and has been piloted in communities nationwide. The South African Weather Service emphasises that SAWS is the only official source of weather alerts. Other social media warnings or forwarded WhatsApp messages may not be accurate — and relying on them could be dangerous. IOL NEWS
