Disruptive snowfall possible for the Western Cape – passes may be closed

23 September 2024 [updated 30 September]
By Staff Writer


This forecast will be updated regularly.

Regional forecast maps can be found below.

More snowfall is possible for South African and Lesotho from late Saturday until Tuesday, as per the map.

The very heavy snowfall that WAS indicated for parts of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal much earlier in the week has been missing from the data for days, so it's unlikely to happen anymore.

Light snow is indicated for parts of the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal or Lesotho, as per the map, but heavier snow is looking likely for the Western Cape.

Temperatures will drop significantly from Sunday and early into next week, with Monday and Tuesday looking like they will be particularly cold in some areas.

A few Western Cape peaks are likely to get around 25cm of snowfall by early Tuesday, but the Hex River mountains around Worcester, Ceres and De Doorns are expected to get a bit less than some of the other peaks.

The freezing level in this area may be low enough for snow to fall on the Bo-swaarmoed Pass, the Rooihoogte Pass on the R318 between the N1 and Montagu and the Theronsberg Pass on the R46 between Ceres and Touws River. The higher mountain passes through the Koue Bokkeveld and the Cederberg might also get some snowfall.

Disruptive snowfalls are expected over the Cape Winelands, Cederberg, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Central and Little Karoo mountains of the Western Cape as well as the southern high ground of Namakwa District on Monday, according to the South Africa Weather Service (SAWS), who issued an orange level 5 and a yellow level 4 warning on Sunday (see below).

The closure of the following mountain passes are likely: Swartberg, Franschhoek, Hex River, Ouberg and Katbakkies. Snowfall accumulation of between 5-10 cm is expected, with possible low-level or ground snowfall especially over southern high ground of the Northern Cape and the Cape Winelands and Central Karoo municipalities.

Most of the peaks around Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington, Tulbagh, Ceres, the Koue Bokkeveld, the Cederberg, Worcester, De Doorns, Touws River, Theewaterskloof, Robertson, Montagu, Swellendam, Beaufort West and Murraysburg may get some snowfall.

The Swartberg range near Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, Prince Albert, De Rust, Uniondale, George, is expected to get some light snowfall and the freezing level is currently indicated to be around 1500m for this area.

The snow indicated for the Western Cape is expected from late Saturday evening, Sunday and early on Monday.

Parts of the Eastern Cape high-ground and mountain passes around Hogsback, Graaff-Reinet, Nieu-Bethesda, Middelburg, Cradock, Somerset East, Burgersdorp, Molteno, Dordrecht, Lady Grey, Barkly East, Rhodes, Elliot, Ugie and Matatiele are currently on the radar for snowfall from late Sunday and through Monday.

In the south the high-ground around Willowmore, Haarlem and all of the area marked on our map below is expected to get some snowfall.

In the Northern Cape Sutherland is very much on the radar for a light snowfall, as is the high-ground around Calvinia, Loxton, Richmond, Noupoort and nearby areas.

Some snow is still currently indicated for the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal around Mooi River, but the R74 and other roads around Van Reenen and the places that got heavy snow last weekend are not currently on our radar.

Areas such as Himeville, Underberg, Kokstad and smaller towns and settlements in the higher ground near these areas are currently indicated to get snow again, but no more than 5cm at this stage. More detail can be found on the regional maps below. The snowfall for this area is indicated for Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday.

Snowfall for Lesotho is indicated for Monday and early on Tuesday morning, with the remote south west on the radar as well as the higher-elavetion areas around Sani Pass.

No weather warnings have been issued by the South African Weather Service for this snow event at this stage.

Note that this forecast may still change. It may reduce or vanish completely in some areas, or the timing may change.

ALSO READ: Be prepared for safe winter travel and snow chasing trips.


The map indicates where we are seeing the possibility of snow, but it may not fall in all of the areas shown on the map. As with any forecast of any kind (temperature, clouds, rain, wind), what eventually happens may or may not be similar to the forecast.


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