Johannesburg – The South African Weather Service (SAWS) on Wednesday warned that some road networks and mountain passes connecting communities on the southern Drakensberg in the Eastern Cape could be closed on Thursday.
SAWS said the closures were due to potentially disruptive snow on the roads and railways, especially during the morning hours.
“Areas of potential impacts include Molteno, Barkley East, Lady Grey, and Matatitele, and there could be isolated loss of livestock in this northern region,” said SAWS.
The weather service said its counterparts in Lesotho have issued a forecast for bitterly cold temperatures with heavy snowfall over that country.
SAWS warned that these conditions may spill over to QwaQwa in the northeastern Free State.
“These conditions are expected to result from the passage of a cut-off low (COL) which is currently situated along the west coast of the country,” said SAWS.
“Very cold temperatures have already set in on the western regions of the Free State and North West provinces.
“Very cold conditions could claim livestock in places over the western region of the Northern and Western Cape provinces.”
SAWS further warned that bursts of showers and excessive lightning may result in localised damage to infrastructure and settlements, but some isolated thunderstorms could produce strong, damaging winds over the stated regions.
“Swells may reach 6.5 metres offshore of the south coast of the Eastern Cape and those entering the harbour may cause a lot of boat movements, which can damage some vessels and break mooring lines,
“Disruptive rain in places has already impacted some communities along the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape on Tuesday and these rainy conditions are likely to continue on and off into Wednesday, 28 June 2023.
“Moreover, wet, cold to very cold conditions are expected to spread to the central provinces of the country, with a risk of storms which may produce heavy downpours, excessive lighting and large amounts of small hail.”
SAWS said these weather events may result in localised damage to infrastructure and settlements over the western parts of the Northern Cape.
“Widespread clearance is expected later on Thursday. The remainder of the week will see cool and largely rain-free conditions,” the weather service said.
