Snowfall expected in four SA provinces and Lesotho on Tuesday and Wednesday

By Staff Writer
Published: 14 May 2025 [updated 20 May]

This forecast covers: Tue 20 May – Wed 21 May


Snowfall is expected for the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape and Lesotho, and possible for the Free State from Tuesday and into Wednesday this week due to a well-developed cold front.

We have seen an increase in the freezing level in the west of the country, so the very low-level snow is looking less likely but the levels in parts of the Eastern Cape and in Lesotho have increased.

The high peaks around regular snow areas such as Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Tulbagh, Worcester, De Doorns, Ceres, the Cederberg, the Koue Bokkeveld, Montagu, Robertson, Swellendam and the Swartberg range around Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and De Rust in the Western Cape, as well as Uniondale are currently in the snow zone.

At this stage we're seeing less chance of snow low down at Matroosberg Reserve and the mountain passes in the Ceres area, but at least 5cm of snow is possible at lower elevations in the Cederberg, Koue Bokkeveld and the Hex River region. We have seen an increase in the snow on the peaks again though, with more than 10cm indicated in some areas.

Anyone planning to hike into the mountain snow at Matroosberg or Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve near Franschhoek should look at doing it from Wednesday onwards as conditions on Tuesday will be more suited to people with extreme weather experience and it will be well below zero with the wind chill. The SA Weather Service has issued a number of extreme weather warnings for this period.

In the Northern Cape the towns of Sutherland, Calvinia, Loxton, Carnavon, Richmond, Noupoort and even Postmasburg are on the snow radar, but much less snow is now indicated for Sutherland.

In the Eastern Cape the high ground around Graaff-Reinet, Nieu-Bethesda, Cradock, Hogsback, Queenstown, Burgersdorp, Molteno, Dordrecht, Lady Grey, Barkly East, Rhodes and Matatiele will likely get some snowfall, with more significant snow falling at higher elevations.

The mountain passes in the Barkly East/Rhodes area will most likely be challenging on Wednesday. Barkly Pass between Elliot and Barly East will likely get some snow and the Naudes Nek Pass will likely get a significant amount of snow so you might want to think about your plans if you were planning to travel the area near Tiffindell Ski Resort.

If you are planning to travel through areas that may get low-level or heavy snow sometimes it is worth being prepared by reading our article on safe winter travel.

The potential has increased again for light snowfall for the Free State, as per the map, with the high-ground in areas such as Philippolis, Trompsburg, Reddersburg, Thaba 'Nchu, Zastron, Thaba Nchu, Ficksburg, Fouriesburg, Clarens, Bethlehem and also Reitz and Senekal on the radar for a possible dusting.

Much of Lesotho is now on the radar for possible snowfall, including Maseru, Semonkong, Afriski and the top of Sani Pass, but it is expected to be quite light except high-ground in the south and centre of the country where 10-20cm is indicated for the high-ground.

We do NOT have low-level snowfall on the radar for KwaZulu-Natal and only the possiblity of light snowfall at high elevations in the Drakensberg, where hikers should be cautious of the conditions overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday. There might be a light dusting of snow near the top of Sani Pass on Wednesday morning but it will be very cold so the pass may be icy.

The snow currently indicated in the data will be low enough to settle on the high-ground and mountain passes in some of the areas marked on the map.

SEE ALSO: Two cold fronts bringing strong winds, rough seas, heavy rain and possibly snow this week.


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. Snow indicated may reduce or vanish completely in some areas, or the dates and times may change.


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