Durban - Get out those winter jackets, raincoats, scarves and mittens.
The South African Weather Service has issued a warning of icy cold conditions for KwaZulu-Natal this weekend, in anticipation of an intense cut-off low-weather system that will see heavy snowfalls on the Drakensberg Mountains.
Temperatures are expected to plummet on Sunday – with maximum temperatures as low as 12ºC in parts of Durban – while heavy rains have been forecast for the coastal belt.
Extreme sea swells are expected over the weekend. Waves are expected to reach highs of 3.7m by Monday.
This is as a result of the cold front which is expected to batter KZN from Saturday, which according to the weather service would bring “widespread, persistent snowfalls”.
By Sunday, snowdrifts on the mountains of KZN will become “progressively deeper and more disruptive as the day progresses into the evening hours”.
The weather service warned that the disruptive snowfalls may result in closure of the passes between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal from Sunday evening to Monday.
“In southern Africa, the late winter season is well-known for delivering winter weather systems, often of an extreme nature,” the weather service said this morning.
“Such winter weather systems, often characterised by snow, bitter cold and strong winds, have the distinct potential to be hazardous to the public, with possibly fatal consequences for human life as well as livestock, when facing the elements for extended periods without adequate shelter.
"The winter weather developing over the next few days is likely to be no exception.”
The weather service said a strong onshore flow along the KZN coast and adjacent interior were likely to support heavier falls, with localised flooding possible, especially over the southern and central parts.
The cold conditions are expected to dissipate from Tuesday, with sunny and warm weather predicted from Wednesday.