A cold front is beginning to move into the Western Cape this afternoon, with rain predicted for tomorrow and light snowfall thereafter.
By the time we wake up tomorrow morning, the rain should be with us. Up to 13mm has been forecast for central Cape Town, while the higher catchment areas could receive a generous 25mm, providing us with some much-needed water in the midst of the country’s worst drought since 1904. Wednesday morning will see the front having mostly passed through into the Northern and Eastern Cape.
Temperatures are expected to drop from mid-week, creating optimal conditions for snow. The higher, outlying peaks beyond Cape Town should receive a dusting by the early hours of Wednesday – a valuable source of water once it melts into our dams. However, the Eastern Cape will receive the bulk of this cold front’s snow, with cold conditions expected in the province’s interior, bringing along with it generous falls reaching over 10cm+ in some places.
The South Weather Service has issued a statement about this week’s cold snap:
Cold snap this week (16 August 2017 onwards) and what you can expect. Alerts to follow in the next few days. We will keep you updated. pic.twitter.com/eSrGClFBRP
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) August 14, 2017
Good news on the horizon is that a considerable front, currently being analysed by weather models, is looking to reach the Western Cape during the last week of August. It’s still a way off from making landfall, and these models could change as the system shapes up, but at the time of writing up to 40mm of rain for Cape Town has been predicted over a period of three, wet days – some respite from the ongoing drought. We’ll need far more cold fronts like these over the next couple of weeks to have any chance of surviving a potentially severe summer.
Photography Neil Vercuiel