Flood warning for Cape Town as rain set to pour
Image: Graeme Wyllie
Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre on Monday issued an alert for heavy downpours of rain that could cause localised flooding in the evening.
A cold front was expected to make landfall late in the afternoon‚ bringing with it an 80% chance of rain. And more rain was expected on Wednesday for the city‚ where ongoing drought has forced residents to use water sparingly.
“Rain is expected mainly for the western parts of the Western Cape‚ spreading to the south coast late evening. According to the forecast‚ 5mm to 20mm can be expected for the western parts‚ with 25mm to 30mm over the mountainous areas. Heavy downpours are possible as well as pooling and flooding in places in the Cape Metropole‚ Winelands and Overberg District‚” said disaster risk management spokesperson Charlotte Powell.
The disaster team will be on high alert to tend to any incidents that may occur in light of the rain.
“Minor impacts can be expected. Morning showers are still expected for (Tuesday) morning‚ clearing in the afternoon. A cut-off low is expected to approach from the west on Wednesday‚ bringing rain for the western parts of the Western Cape in the evening‚ into Thursday morning. Showers and thundershowers are possible. Rainfall amounts of 5mm to 20mm can be expected ‚ with 20mm to 35mm over the western mountains. Heavy downpours‚ flooding and strong winds may be expected in places over the Cape Metropole‚ Winelands and Overberg District‚” she said.
Powell said that “minor to possibly significant impacts” could be expected due to the rain on Wednesday.
The South African Weather Service office in Cape Town said that the majority of rainfall was expected in the mountainous areas of the Cape Winelands (up to 30mm to 40mm) overnight on Monday.
Cape Town’s collective consumption water consumption over the past week was 507-million litres of water per day – which was 35-million litres lower than the previous week‚ said the city’s deputy mayor Ian Neilson on Monday.
“Our consumption is being closely monitored by the National Department of Water and Sanitation who are responsible for enforcement of water abstraction restrictions from the large dams comprising the Western Cape Water Supply System – the system which also supplies Cape Town. If we are not able to bring our consumption down to the required 450 million litres a day‚ we could face even more stringent restrictions in the new hydrological year‚” he said.