Motorists and holiday travellers are being warned to expect snow, heavy rain, strong winds and possible flooding as a powerful winter storm moves across South Africa during the long weekend.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued an early warning for a powerful cold front and associated upper-air trough expected to make landfall over the Western and Northern Cape on Sunday, August 9, bringing hazardous weather conditions across much of the country during the long weekend.
According to SAWS, the system will bring "cold to very cold, wet and windy conditions as well as rough sea conditions, with snowfalls over the mountainous areas" of the Western and Northern Cape before spreading eastwards into the Eastern Cape.
Forecasters expect conditions to deteriorate further on Monday, 10 August, as the weather system moves inland.
SAWS said "the upper-air trough is expected to deepen even further as it moves over the central to eastern parts of the country," resulting in cold to very cold temperatures, widespread rain and showers, and snowfall over the mountainous areas of the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
