Cape Town – Snowfalls have been updated to disruptive over the western mountains of the Western Cape due to the two cold fronts hitting the province the next few days, SA Weather Service forecaster Lauren Smith said on Thursday.
A total of 15mm of rain has already fallen over Kirstenbosch, Cape Town, by noon and the downpour in the province has also helped firefighters contain a runaway blaze that broke out on the Du Toitskloof mountain range between the N1 Rawsonville weighbridge and the Huguenot tunnel.
'"A second cold front will make landfall on Friday afternoon/evening and that's all continuing into Saturday. Heavy rain, very cold conditions, snow and gale-force winds are expected," said Smith.
An image of the cold front that was expected to make landfall in the Western Cape on Thursday afternoon.
Image: SA Weather Service
A significant amount of snow is expected to fall over the mountainous areas of the Cape Winelands on Friday and into Saturday morning, with Smith predicting more than what fell in the Ceres area in the middle of last month.
According to Snowreport.co.za, snow may fall on the high ground nearby or peaks at the following places in the Western Cape: Paarl, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Rawsonville, Worcester, Villiersdorp, Tulbagh, Wolseley, Ceres, De Doorns, Robertson, Montagu, Greyton, the Cederberg and the Koue Bokkeveld, Barrydale, Swellendam, Heidelberg, Riversdale, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, Prince Albert, Beaufort West, De Rust, George, Uniondale and Willowmore.
The bitterly cold and wet weather will be accompanied by strong to gale-force north-westerly winds of 60-74km/h and gusts up to 100km/h over parts of the Western Cape.
The front is expected to produce significant rainfall over the western areas of the Western Cape, with projected rainfall accumulation of 15 to 30mm, the City of Cape Town's Disaster Risk Management Centre said.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell urged the public to take heed of the early warnings and to limit the amount of time spent outdoors over the next few days.
“It is going to get very cold and very wet. We have also been alerted to the fact that the national electricity grid is under extreme pressure with load shedding a possibility at this stage.
"Please do what you can to reduce electricity consumption. Consider livestock and small animals that may be exposed to the elements and try to limit the amount of travel over the next few days.”
All City of Cape Town services and external agencies will be on standby to deal with the predicted adverse weather conditions.
Residents are reminded to please log any weather-related emergencies and/or impacts to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.