Cape Town dam levels rose by 0.9% last week, thanks to rainfall from the previous week, and the good news is more rain is expected this week. Looking at rainfall predication for the week ahead, the South African Weather Service has indicated that Monday and Tuesday will see decent downpours.
There is a 90% chance of rain on Monday, starting in the afternoon, continuing into Tuesday morning. Tuesday also has a 50% chance of rainfall, starting in the early morning and continuing through to midday.
Areas in the the metropolitan can expect between 10 – 20mm of rain, and outlying areas like Paarl, Wellington and Stellenbosch could receive between 40 – 60mm.
The SA Weather Service has said Cape Town faces higher-than-normal rainfall days for the winter, however, they warned that this did not necessarily mean greater quantities of rain.
Cape Town is facing the toughest drought in 100 years after experiencing three consecutive years of no rainfall. Dam levels have edged close to 20% in the last few weeks, of which 10% is unusable water.
Since February, the City has implemented Level 6B water restrictions, allowing residents to only make use of 50 litres of water, per person, per day.
It is important that residents still stick to the water restrictions, regardless of rainfall in the area. It is going to take a lot more than a few days of rain to replenish the dry dams.