An intense cold front currently positioned to the south-west of South Africa is expected to make landfall on Monday night with a second front following closely on Tuesday.
The cold fronts are expected to result in a significant drop in temperatures, windy and wet conditions as well as snow in the western and southern parts of the country.
The cold, wet and windy conditions will first be felt in the Western and Northern Cape and will spread to the central parts of the country by Wednesday with temperatures expected to decrease significantly on Wednesday.
The strong winds, reaching 65-75 km/h, could lead to the damage of settlements, possible structural damage, especially temporary structures, interruptions to power utilities as well as an increase in travel times due to falling trees and reduced visibility due to dust storms.
Susceptible roads could also be closed during this time.
Snow expected to spread eastwards
This past weekend saw some snow reaching the ground in various high lying areas in the Western Cape.
Further snow is expected once again in a similar area starting on Tuesday evening and possibly reaching more than 10 cm in places (Karoo Hoogland, Cederberg and Langeberg).
This could lead to icy roads and possible loss of vulnerable livestock as well as non-major passes being closed for a short period of time.
The snow is expected to spread eastwards into the Eastern Cape by Tuesday evening reaching the Sneeuberg and southern Drakensberg.
The rainfall will mainly be confined to the western and southern parts of the country (Western, Northern and Eastern Cape) and will clear by Thursday.
The bulk of the rainfall will occur in the western parts of the Western Cape on Tuesday which could be heavy at times and lead to flooding of roads and informal settlements as well as cause major traffic disruptions. There is also a possibility of rockfalls and mudslides in places.
The South African Weather Service will continue to monitor any further developments relating to this weather system and will issue subsequent updates as required.
Furthermore, the public are urged and encouraged to regularly follow weather forecasts on television and radio.
Updated information on this regard will regularly be available at www.weathersa.co.za as well as via the SA Weather Service Twitter account @SAWeatherService
