Wetter winter forecast for Western Cape

Higher than average rainfall is forecast this winter for the Western Cape and dam levels are higher than they were this time last year, the provincial minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning, Anton Bredell, said this week.

But he cautioned “the level of certainty does remain low” for the latest forecast.

Bredell said: “The latest seasonal forecast for winter rainfall for the Western Cape has come back more optimistic than earlier forecasts.”

This week the Western Cape, Northern Cape and many parts of the country are on alert for heavy rain, snow and even flooding.

“The SA Weather Service is warning of heavy rainfall to be expected from Tuesday into Thursday across broad regions of the Western Cape including the West Coast, Cape winelands, the city of Cape Town and the Overberg,” said Bredell.

“This will be accompanied by snow, strong wind and flooding in areas. If possible, stay indoors and off the roads.”

The latest average dam level for the Western Cape is 36.7% (2019: 34.9%).

The dams providing water to the City of Cape Town combined are at 54.4% (2019: 47.5%). The biggest dam, Theewaterskloof, is 51.3% full this week compared to 38.9% in 2019.

The minister of agriculture Ivan Meyer has warned that recovery from the poor rainfall and drought would take years.

“It will take at least three to five years of average or above average rainfall for the veld to recover from the drought. Moreover, once the drought has been broken, farmers will have to build up their flocks,” said his spokesperson Daniel Johnson on Tuesday.

The Western Cape has been hit by the “worst six-year continuous drought in recorded history”, he said.

The province  was classified as a “national disaster” on March 4 because of the drought’s severity and damage suffered in the agricultural sector in many areas across the province. This declaration was extended last week to July 4 2020.