First springtime storms predicted for Gauteng, North West and Free State, another cold front on the way

The SA Weather Service said the first spring thunderstorms are expected over Gauteng, the North West, the Free State, and the eastern Highveld. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

The SA Weather Service said the first spring thunderstorms are expected over Gauteng, the North West, the Free State, and the eastern Highveld. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Published Sep 18, 2023

Share

Spring thunderstorms are predicted over Gauteng, the North West, the Free State, and the eastern Highveld, according to the South African Weather Service (Saws)

On Monday, Saws said a weak cold front will approach the south-western Cape on Tuesday, accompanied by showers and rain.

"The atmosphere becomes conducive for isolated thunderstorms from the afternoon over central parts of the country, spreading eastwards, reaching Gauteng and the eastern Highveld in the evening," the forecaster said.

A Yellow Level 1 warning for waves has also been issued between Cape Point and Struisbaai.

Saws said this could lead to difficulty in navigation at sea.

Picture: SA Weather Service

The forecaster explained that a storm surge was behind the freak waves that affected more than 50% of the country's coast at the weekend.

"This resulted in damage to buildings, swept-away vehicles, beach erosion, multiple injuries, and two deaths. Gale force winds, high swells, and a higher than normal spring tide occurred at exactly the same time, causing a significant increase in water levels along the coast," Saws said.

It added that the maximum observed wave heights were observed over the south coast.

Saws said on the east coast, wave heights of 5.0 to 7.0m were recorded, along with winds of more than 10 km/h reported offshore along the Eastern Cape coast.

IOL