Gautengers, brace yourselves for bitterly cold weather

The SA Weather Service expects a cold front from the Western Cape to sweep through Gauteng this evening into tomorrow.

With anticipated minimum temperatures to drop drastically in Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Vereeniging, “cooling will be with us for a few days”, according to forecaster Victoria Nurse.

“There will be a slight warming on Thursday and Friday by 2°C or 3°C. Maximum temperature expected in Gauteng on Monday [to- day] will range from 18°C to 20°C,” said Nurse.

She said the Western Cape was yesterday engulfed with a cold front “making landfall”. “Widespread showers expected to be between 80% to 100% is how much rainfall the western parts of the Western Cape will get this week.

“Hence, we have issued a warning that huge flooding, accompanied by snowfalls, will be disruptive,” she said. “The southwest coast of the Western Cape will experience gale force winds.

“This will be accompanied by intense cold, which is normal this time of the year – significant drop in minimums and maximums staying the same.”

Cape Town is currently experiencing the much-awaited and needed rain, but the heavy downpour has caused flooding of many roads across the city, mayoral committee member for transport and urban development, Brett Herron, said yesterday.

Flooding had occurred mainly due to obstructions in the storm water system catch pits and entry gullies, Herron said.

This could be caused by loose debris on the road surface that had landed in the opening of the gully causing a blockage. One of the other causes of blockages was debris dumped into stormwater infrastructure.

“In some cases, we have found tree roots that find their way into the joints of the pipes that cause a constriction inside the pipe and can cause blockages,” he said.

“Areas that are normally hit the hardest are areas that are close to a flood plain or within the flood plain. This is often the case for some informal settlements.

“Other areas where we have excessive dumping into the stormwater infrastructure are also prone to flooding. We are currently assessing the data for today [Sunday] to be able to identify problem areas.”

Some of the most affected areas where roads had been flooded across the Cape Town metro were Lower Gordon Road in Strand; Kudu Avenue in Lotus River; Crescent Road on the corner of Claremont Avenue; Louw Avenue in Grassy Park; Fernwood in Newlands; Main Road and the R44 in Somerset West; and Carel Uys Road and Blombos Road in Atlantis. – Additional reporting by ANA