Weather update: Chilly temperatures endure for now

27 July 2016 - 17:31 By Roxanne Henderson and Bruce Gorton

South Africans should brace themselves for a few more days of cold weather - including below zero temperatures in Gauteng - after tornadoes‚ snow and rain wreaked havoc across the country this week.South African Weather Service forecaster Bransby Bulo said on Wednesday that a cold front is not expected over the next few days‚ but that temperatures around the country will remain low.We will rebuild shacks damaged by tornado: EFF's MalemaEconomic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has committed his party to help build shacks that were damaged by a tornado in Tembisa on Tuesday. “It will remain cold over the interior‚ but temperatures will pick up on Friday into the weekend. The minimum temperatures will be below zero in the southern parts of Gauteng‚ starting from tomorrow‚” he said. Bulo added that no severe thunderstorms are currently expected in KwaZulu-Natal.Flooding and mudslides have been reported in and around Durban this week‚ with the city recording 150mm of rainfall in 12 hours on Monday – five times its average July rainfall‚ according to the UK's Met Office.According to the South African Weather Service‚ the poor weather conditions seen across the country over the past week has been caused by a “cut-off low” pressure system‚ that developed in the western part of the country.The phenomenon is expected to exit the country off the Eastern Cape's coast on Thursday‚ it said.On Wednesday disruptive snowfalls were expected over the extreme south-western parts of Kwazulu-Natal‚ north-eastern parts of the Eastern Cape as well as the extreme south-eastern parts of the Free State.According to Snow Report SA‚ the Eastern Cape's Lady Grey and Barkley East can expect to see a “good amount” of snow.On Thursday heavy snow is expected on the Eastern Cape’s Drakensberg border‚ with the last of it coming on Friday.For those in Johannesburg‚ expect to see a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius on Thursday‚ but a minimum of -1 degrees Celsius.Friday is going to be colder‚ with the maximum dropping to 18 degrees Celsius‚ and the minimum dropping to -2.Maximum temperatures will stay at 18 degrees over the weekend in the city‚ but the minimums will rise to 1 and 2 degrees on Saturday and Sunday respectively.Cape Town will have lower maximum temperatures‚ at 16 degrees Celsius on Friday and 17 degrees‚ over the weekend. It will have higher minimum temperatures‚ with 10 degrees Celsius expected on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the minimum temperatures will drop to 7 and 6 degrees Celsius respectively.Victoria West is expected to have snow on Wednesday‚ but the weather will start to clear up on Thursday – at about 2pm. The weather will start to get a little warmer over the weekend‚ with maximum temperature on Wednesday‚ of 8 degrees Celsius‚ rising on Sunday to 17 degrees Celsius...

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