Cold front brings heavy rain, wind and localised flooding to Western Cape

Cape Town’s disaster risk management centre (DRMC) was on high alert on Monday as a cold front brought heavy rainfall across the city.

“Continuous rain and scattered-to-widespread rain showers are expected to persist from Monday into Wednesday. Flooding is expected today over southwestern parts of the Western Cape,” the SA Weather Service (Saws) warned on Monday.

The cold front made landfall overnight, accompanied by strong winds and rough seas.

Stellenbosch municipality reported localised flooding on the R44 near the Mooiberge Farmstall between Stellenbosch and Somerset West.

“Emergency teams have been dispatched. Please switch on your headlights, maintain a safe following distance and drive carefully,” the municipality said in an update.

Chapman’s Peak Drive was closed due to rockfalls.

DRMC spokesperson Charlotte Powell said at about 3.30pm that there had been no major incidents reported since the cold front made landfall.

“There have been sporadic reports of localised flooding of roadways, but no closures as a result. Road users are advised to proceed with caution,” said Powell.

“Blocked drains have been reported in informal settlements in Langa, Khayelitsha, Ottery, Lwandle, Strandfontein, Crossroads, Philippi and Gugulethu.

“These matters are being attended to by the roads and stormwater department, who are clearing and unblocking drains. City departments and related external service providers remain on high alert to deal with weather-related impacts.”

Saws issued warnings related to the heavy rains expected to continue into Tuesday. They included:

• yellow level 3 warning for wind resulting in damage to formal/informal settlements over southern Namakwa, the interior of the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town until the afternoon;
• yellow level 2 warning for coastal wind resulting in difficulty in navigation at sea expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay; and
• yellow level 4 warning for rain leading to flooding of roads and formal/informal settlements over the Cape metropole, Cape Winelands and western Overberg districts.

Residents were urged to call the city’s public emergency communication centre for weather-related emergencies by dialling 021-480-7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.

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