Disruptive snowfall expected in South Africa this weekend

21 August 2021 [updated 26 August]
By Staff Writer

This forecast replaces the previous one, as well as the first forecast for this period which can be found here.

Widespread snowfall is likely for South Africa and Lesotho starting late on Thursday. Johannesburg and Pretoria are however no longer indicated as they were in earlier data, but there is still a possibility of light snowfall for Namibia.

At this stage the data suggests anything from very light snowfall or just flurries for some areas, to much heavier snowfall in some parts of the country. Extremely cold temperatures as low as minus ten are possible on the highest peaks in some parts of the region.

The freezing level may drop as low as 900m in the west of the country, as well as in parts of the Eastern Cape, and this will result in snow on quite a number of mountain passes. Since a significant amount of snow is possible on some areas this is likely to result in challenging driving conditions and the closure of some roads.

According to the South African Weather Service, disruptive snowfalls are possible in some places, resulting in the closure of some mountain passes and possible traffic disruptions. They have advised small stock farmers to move their smaller livestock to shelter at an early stage ahead of the arrival of the winter weather to mitigate losses.

The snow is currently expected to fall between Thursday afternoon until the early hours of Sunday, depending on the region. The possible heavier snowfall for the west of the country is indicated for late Thursday and Friday. The possible heavier snowfall for Lesotho, the eastern part of the Eastern Cape and the south-west of KwaZulu-Natal is currently indicated for Saturday.

A number of the high-peaks in the Western Cape may get around 50cm of snow, and with the freezing level being very low more than 10cm of snow is possible for Table Mountain. Higher ground in the Eastern Cape may also see snowfalls of around 30cm.

The map indicates where SnowReportSA is 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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