Cape Town - For the second consecutive weekend Capetonians have been warned to brace themselves for heavy rain, icy temperatures and gale-force winds as a well-developed cold front arrives in the Mother City.
The Cape Town Weather Office said the cold front was expected to hit the city on Saturday, with significant rainfal continuing into on Sunday and Monday.
A 100 percent chance of continuous slight or moderate rain has been predicted over Cape Town, Strand and Kommetjie, all of which can expect heavier rain on Saturday afternoon.
Forecasts are for about 50mm of rain in the city before on Saturday night.
Temperatures stay low too, at between 12ºC and 16ºC in most areas, with strong and gale-force winds predicted for the city centre and Cape Point.
Heavy rain is also expected over the West Coast, Cape Winelands and Overberg districts.
High seas, with waves as high as 9m, are expected from Alexander Bay to Plettenberg Bay, continuing until Tuesday.
The NSRI has urged boaters, fishermen, paddlers and surfers to heed all weather warnings.
There will be a 30 percent chance of rain in Cape Town on Tuesday morning.
Richard Bosman, the city’s executive director for safety and security, said the authorities would be operating in terms of their winter readiness plan. Teams would be on standby to monitor flooded areas, and the disaster management centre would be operating around the clock.
Nine high-risk areas had been identified, including informal settlements in Fisantekraal, Philippi, Gugulethu and Strand.
The city announced this week it was allocating nearly R170 million to clear drains in high-risk flood areas, as well as to other maintenance.
* Report flooding, blocked drains and service disruptions to the city’s customer care contact centre at 086 010 3089. For all life- and property-threatening situations, call 107 or 021 480 7700.
Weekend Argus