Drier conditions expected in Cape

Feebearing - Cape Town - 150603 - Capetonians continue with their daily routine as a large cold front system hits the Peninsula. Flood warnings have been issued in low lying areas. Pictured: A woman braves the elements to do grocery shopping in Sea Point. PICTURE: WILLEM LAW.

Feebearing - Cape Town - 150603 - Capetonians continue with their daily routine as a large cold front system hits the Peninsula. Flood warnings have been issued in low lying areas. Pictured: A woman braves the elements to do grocery shopping in Sea Point. PICTURE: WILLEM LAW.

Published Jun 4, 2015

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Cape Town - Winter has come crashing down on Cape Town as heavy rains and strong winds lashed the city on Wednesday.

Heavy rains and strong winds kept temperatures in the mid-teens .

Forecaster at the SA Weather Service William Simanga said things would look better for the week ahead after Wednesday’s localised flooding, large swells and strong winds.

Simanga said: “Most weather stations measured above 50mm of rainfall. Anything above 50mm, of rainfall, is considered as heavy rain. This weekend clear conditions are expected to dominate and there might be a small chance of rain.”

Simanga said it was too soon to compare this winter to past winters.

“Cold is expected to dominate most of the country; in most areas it will be very cold particularly in the high grounds of the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape. Other provinces will be cold and windy and this will be bad particularly for people living along the coast like in Plettenberg Bay.”

Clean-up operations continued on Chapman’s Peak after mudslides closed the Noordhoek side of the scenic route earlier this week, and the road will remain closed for the rest of the week.

Provincial Disaster Management and Fire & Rescue Services chief director Colin Deiner said they had not been called out to any rescues but said they would remain “prepared and on standby”.

“We know that rains were expected to persist overnight but we have received no calls yet. But we will remain on standby.”

Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa advised motorists to remember the “golden rule” of driving and buckle up as one of the safety measures to stay safe on the wet roads.

“We advise motorists to maintain a safe following distance and to remember the other golden rule of driving, to always buckle up. The visibility is also not good so we advise motorists to drive with their headlights on at all times.

“Luckily we have had no bad accidents on our roads and we also have no fatalities to report. The only accidents that were reported were minor fender-benders.”

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Cape Argus

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