Extreme heat, disruptive waves weather warning for Western and Northern Cape

FILE PHOTO: The public should expect beachfront disruptions and take care when going to the beach on Friday and Saturday morning.

FILE PHOTO: The public should expect beachfront disruptions and take care when going to the beach on Friday and Saturday morning.

Published Jan 20, 2022

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CAPE TOWN - The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued an extreme heatwave advisory for the Western and Northern Cape, with temperatures expected to soar to highs of 40 degrees Celsius in some areas this weekend.

In an advisory for Thursday through Sunday, the SAWS said the two provinces can expect a very hot weekend as well as disruptive waves on the coastline.

“Very hot to extremely hot conditions will result from predominantly light, northerly wind flow over the interior of the Western and Northern Cape provinces.

"Temperatures are expected to reach up to 39 degrees Celsius on Thursday and at least 40 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday over the interior of the West Coast, Cape Winelands, southern high ground of Namakwa District, Central and Little Karoo. These persistent high temperatures might result in heat wave conditions in some places over the weekend,” the advisory read.

On Saturday, temperatures in the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) are expected to reach 41 degrees in Breede Valley, Langeberg and Stellenbosch, and 43 degrees in Drakenstein.

On Sunday, Langeberg is expected to reach a high of 45 degrees.

CWDM Head of Disaster Management Shaun Minnies said the biggest risk faced in the very hot weather is heatstroke which, if left unattended, can lead to death.

“It is vital that people spending time outdoors always wear a hat, have access to clean, fresh drinking water and stay out of the sun during the heat of the day.”

The SAWS also issued a warning for disruptive waves in both provinces.

“It has been an interesting couple of days with the higher wave heights that were observed along the Western and Northern Cape coastline. Although the wave heights are expected to subside by Thursday afternoon, it will start increasing again from Friday morning until Saturday morning,” SAWS said.

The public should expect beachfront disruptions and take care when going to the beach on both Friday and Saturday morning.

Cape Times

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