IN PICTURES | Strong winds wreak havoc in Port Elizabeth
Strong winds wreaked havoc in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, damaging buildings and causing a crane at the harbour to collapse.
In other parts of the city, overhead signage boards have been blown away along the M4 Settlers Freeway and boarding around the old Post Office opposite the Feather Market Centre collapsed on cars parked in Baakens Street.
South African Weather Service spokesperson in Port Elizabeth, Garth Sampson, said the wind picked up at around 6.30am.
“The wind increase in speed over a relatively short period could have been a contributing factor to this happening,” he said, referring to the crane toppling over.
The official maximum gust at the Port Elizabeth International Airport was 102km/h.
Gusts are sudden, brief increases in wind speed.
“This is by no means a record for Port Elizabeth. The maximum hourly wind speed was 87 km/h) and occurred in July 2002, while the maximum gust was 139 km/h and occurred in August 1991,” Sampson said.