Cold front heads for Western Cape, bringing gales and rough seas

The SA Weather Service has issued a warning for a cold front expected to make landfall over the southwestern Cape late on Friday.

It is expected to be accompanied by strong to gale-force winds and very rough seas, especially along the coastal areas of the Western Cape, spreading along the Eastern Cape south coast early on Saturday.

The service issued a yellow level 2 warning for wind which could lead to possible  infrastructure damage over the Central Karoo, Cape Town, Overberg, eastern parts of the Cape winelands and southern parts of Namakwa (Northern Cape) on Friday.

“Yellow level 2 warning for waves leading to possible coastal infrastructure damage and difficulty in navigation at sea is expected between Lambert's Bay and Cape Agulhas from Friday afternoon, spreading to Plettenberg Bay in the evening,” the service said.

The cold front is set to move in over the southwestern Cape on Friday afternoon, causing scattered showers and rain, and spreading along the south coast in the evening.

While rainfall is not expected to be a significant factor, sustained strong to gale-force northwesterly to westerly winds of 55-70km/h will be experienced on the southwest coast from the morning, spreading along the south coast of the Western Cape in the evening.

“These winds will further be accompanied by very rough seas (5-6m wave heights). These conditions, coupled with a full moon, are likely to result in dangerous conditions for vessels at sea.”

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