Pretoria - The cold front currently being experienced in the Western Cape, and which has unleashed wet and cold conditions there, is set to bring freezing temperatures to Gauteng on Saturday, when it sweeps through the province.
South African Weather Service forecaster Kholofelo Mahlangu said while it would bring cold air there was no rain expected.
Cape Town has been experiencing an intense cold front since the beginning of the week which has been accompanied by heavy rain and gale-force winds. This cold front will bring freezing temperatures to Gauteng the Free State and Mpumalanga over the next few days.
“Between yesterday and today, temperatures will continue to drop, but there will be no rain coming into the weekend. Going into Sunday, the cold front should have passed, sunny skies are expected with normal cold winter conditions,” she said.
She added that on Friday the cold front would take its freeze to some parts, but would not affect Pretoria with "crazy weather". The minimum of 7degC today is warmer than yesterday, with clear skies.
With no rain predicted by the weather service for the province, the integrated Vaal River System could expect no relief, as the recent dry conditions caused a decline in the level of major dams.
The Department of Water and Sanitation said while the Integrated Vaal River System remained stable, it was continuing to drop to lower levels week on week.
“The system has recorded a decrease, while last year during this time it was higher. The levels of the entire system have been affected by the decline in some of its key dams,” it said.
The department said the reason behind the week on week decline was the fact that Gauteng was a summer rainfall area.
To avoid a depletion of the system, it encouraged the public to save water as much as possible, as the winter season was a critical time for Gauteng, during which everyone was expected to contribute by preserving every drop of water.
“This will enable the province to enter the rainfall season without having experienced water shortages that are due to excessive consumption,” the department said.