Johannesburg - With the current heatwave affecting the country , the SA Weather Service has warned Gauteng residents relief may only come on Friday.
Weather forecaster Mbavhi Maliage said temperatures going into the upper thirties were expected across the province and north-eastern parts of the country with Pretoria expected to hit a record high of 39ºC. “
“For now it has only been forecast and we will be monitoring the temperature over Pretoria.”
Maliage told The Star on Tuesday morning that a strong high-pressure system over the north-eastern parts was creating hot and dry conditions.
“A high-pressure system causes air to sink; as it does, the air warms up. Lack of moisture is also adding to the heatwave,” Maliage said.
She explained how a heatwave is decided: “We take the average of the hottest month and add 5º to it and that happened in January. If you have that condition for three days persistently, that’s when you have a heatwave.”
Maliage said the two heatwaves Gauteng had experienced since September were not unusual for this time of year. “
“Heatwaves during the spring and summer months are not out of the ordinary.”
She said the heat wave was expected to break by Friday.
“There is a 30 percent chance of rain on Friday afternoon and moving into the weekend, we can expect a 60 percent chance of rain.”
ER24 spokeswoman Chitra Bodasing said South Africans should prepare themselves.
“We would like to remind you to stay well hydrated and use sunscreen.
“Remember to wear caps and don’t forget your pets, they also need water,” she said.
“Please also keep an eye on your kids playing outside and remember to keep them safe around swimming pools,” Bodasing added.
Gauteng residents took to Twitter to express their anguish about the weather.
@nosiphokhulu tweeted: “Who will the police shoot at and teargas now that EVERYTHING HAS FALLEN EXCEPT THE RAIN?
“We don’t have water it’s 35ºC #HeatWave some have’t had water since fri. ANC fails again-oh wait there is no #WaterCrisis,” she said.
@Makinta_T joked: “@Our_DA be like, @MyANC_ and gov is failing us. It’s too hot. Zuma must resign #HeatWave.”
The Star