Summer rainfall areas in for wetter, hotter seasons than usual

The spring and summer seasons are likely to be wetter and hotter than average, the SA Weather Service says.

Forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela predicts above-normal rainfall in the central and northeastern areas of the country such as Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the Free State, the North West and KwaZulu-Natal, particularly in October, November and December.

“That is when we are expecting above-normal rain for most regions that receive summer rainfall. Temperatures are expected to be above normal minimum and maximum temperatures for the spring season, as well as into summer,” Thobela said.

For this week, it will be cool for most parts of the country into the weekend, but a warmer Spring Day is expected.

The chilly weather started on Tuesday with cold fronts landing on the southwestern interior of the country, resulting in very cold to cold conditions along with isolated to scattered rain.

This is expected to affect the southern parts of the Northern Cape, the Western Cape and the western half of the Eastern Cape, Thobela said.

“We are still expecting snowfalls over the high-lying areas of the Western Cape as well as the high southern grounds of the Northern Cape on Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said.

Temperatures are predicted to drop over the central parts of the country on Wednesday, and a slight drop over the central parts of the Free State up to the centre of the Eastern Cape and the east of the Northern Cape.

KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng will feel the chill from Thursday as temperatures are expected to drop to 17ºC-18°C in the central and northern parts of Gauteng. However, the central and south of the province are expected to be colder.

“It will remain cold with cloudy conditions expected over most parts of northeastern regions. This will affect KwaZulu-Natal, the eastern parts of the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga as well as most parts of Limpopo.”

For Friday, cold temperatures are expected for most of Gauteng.

Isolated showers and rain are expected in the eastern parts of Limpopo and the escarpments of most of KwaZulu-Natal.

Temperatures are expected to get slightly warmer at the weekend with maximum temperatures of 22°C expected for northern parts of Gauteng. However, the central and southern parts will remain cool with highs of 18ºC-20°C.

“Moving into Spring Day, no precipitation is expected countrywide and temperatures will start to pick up over most parts of the country, with warmer temperatures expected for the lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It will be warm in parts of Gauteng but cool over the central parts of the southern areas of the province,” Thobela said.

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