Big freeze: snow, frost and thunderstorms to hit parts of South Africa

The South African Weather Service has warned of a cold weekend with snow, widespread frost and severe thunderstorms expected in parts of the country. Forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela said partly cloudy and cold conditions, with isolated showers, would affect eastern and western areas.

Warnings and where the worst of it will be

The Weather Service issued a yellow level 1 warning for severe thunderstorms over the central and eastern parts of the Eastern Cape. The warning covers heavy downpours that could cause localised flooding, as well as hail and gusty winds that could lead to damage of infrastructure.

Thobela said snow was expected to cause localised traffic disruption over the northeastern parts of the Eastern Cape, near the Lesotho border.

Regions facing very cold, wet and windy conditions

Thobela added:

“Very cold, wet and windy conditions are expected today over the Free State, southern parts of the North West and most parts of the Northern Cape, as well as in places over the Eastern Cape interior.”

The forecaster also said fine and cold conditions were expected over the weekend, with some areas becoming partly cloudy across the southwestern parts and the northeastern regions of the country.

Frost and temperature notes from meteorologists

Weather Hooligan Juandre Vorster warned that most of the country will get frost and described the event as one of the big frosts to come. He said:

“It’s going to be a very cold weekend ahead,”

warning of widespread chilly conditions.

Vox weather meteorologist Annette Botha noted that, despite the current cold snap,

“it wasn’t as cold as usual for this time of the year.”

She said one weather system brought above-average rain to parts of the Cape, the Free State and southern Namibia and Botswana in June, and that some areas received more than six times their average rain, according to her statement.

What to expect next

Forecasters point to a mix of wet, windy and freezing conditions in affected regions. The Weather Service and meteorologists emphasised the combination of snowfall, frost and thunderstorms that could disrupt travel and impact infrastructure where warnings have been issued.