South Africa is set to experience severe weather conditions – including heavy rain, strong winds, rough seas and an incoming cold front – on Monday, February 20.
The SA Weather Service (Saws) has issued a number of Yellow Level 1 and 2 warnings, indicating that strong winds, waves and heavy rain can be expected this week.
Residents of the following provinces are advised to take precautions to stay safe and protect themselves and their property from adverse weather conditions.
Weather update for Monday
Strong winds at E Cape
Tanjung Timur is expected to experience strong northwest winds, which are predicted to reach 60 kilometers per hour, with gusts up to 85 kilometers per hour.
The affected areas include Chris Hani District Municipality, Joe Gqabi District Municipality, and places in Dr Beyers Naude local municipality.
Residents should prepare for local damage to settlements and infrastructure, as well as disruptions to transport routes. Local power and communication outages are also possible.
Also read: Hundreds evacuated as Komani is hit by floods
Waves on the shore, rough seas
The Eastern and Western Capes will be affected by high winds and waves offshore, with waves up to 6 meters.
Small boats are at risk of taking on water and drifting in an area, and navigation will be difficult due to strong winds and rough seas.
Local disruptions in ports and small harbors are also possible for a short period of time.
Gale-force winds: W and N Cape
The Western and Northern Cape will experience strong winds to near northwest winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour over the high ground south of Namakwa in the Northern Cape, and over the northern interior of the Western Cape.
The maximum wind speed is expected in the evening, with wind speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
Saws warned that this could lead to difficult driving conditions on high-level roads and bridges, causing localized problems for tall vehicles, particularly on the N1 between Worcester and Beaufort-West.
Local damage to settlements and power and communication disruptions are also possible.
W Cape weather: Cold front coming in
In addition to the wind warning, a yellow level 2 warning for rain has been issued for the Western Cape.
A cold front is expected to make landfall in the western part of the Western Cape on Friday morning.
Rainfall accumulations of between 20 and 40 millimeters are expected in the City of Cape Town and the southern part of the Northern Cape.
Traffic disruptions and mudslides
Localized disruption of traffic flow also exists in the Western Cape, along with an increase in motor vehicle accidents, especially during rush hour traffic.
Local mudslides and rockfalls also occur in vulnerable areas.
Heavy rains can cause localized flooding of roads and settlements (formal and informal), and can cause local and short-term disruptions to essential services such as water and electricity.
Rough waves and seas at W Cape
Strong northwesterly winds to near gales are expected between Saldanha Bay and Cape Agulhas, with gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour between Gansbaai and Struisbaai.
The wind will be mainly south-westerly from the morning, spreading to Plettenberg Bay in the evening, when it will be accompanied by a wave height of 4 to 5 meters.
Winds are expected to be moderate, and the waves will subside by Tuesday morning.
Strong winds of 95 kilometers per hour are expected between Betty Bay and Cape Agulhas on Monday morning, with waves up to 6 meters high.