The SA Weather Service has warned of a cut-off low-pressure system expected to develop over the western interior on Wednesday, bringing showers and flooding to central and eastern SA.
The service said the system will move into the central interior where it will become quasi-stationary from Thursday until Saturday before dissipating on Sunday.
“Ample tropically sourced air will be advected southwards from northern Namibia and Botswana, where significant rainfall has occurred lately due to the presence of a tropical low called an ‘Africane’,” said SAWS.
It said cut-off lows are notorious for causing severe weather over SA, such as heavy rainfall and flooding.
The weather service said due to the slow-moving nature of the system, persistent rainfall for several days may result in flooding over the central, southern, and eastern parts of the country.
“Rainfall is expected to start in the west (on Monday), and is expected to slowly spread eastward on Tuesday, with heavier showers and thundershowers possible over the interior of the Eastern Cape during the afternoon and evening. Once the cut-off low develops on Wednesday evening, rainfall should become widespread, with the possibility of heavy falls in places, over most of the country, excluding the Western Cape and the western parts of the Northern Cape.”
SAWS says isolated severe thunderstorms may also develop over the central and southern interior due to cooler air aloft associated with the cut-off low.
“Due to the extensive cloud cover associated with this system, cooler daytime temperatures can also be expected over much of South Africa,” the weather service said.
SAWS said, given that the system is only expected to develop on Wednesday, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding the rate at which the system will intensify as well as the location and timing of possible severe weather phenomena.
It will continue to monitor developments and will issue updates as required.
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Cut-off low to bring showers and flooding to parts of SA from Wednesday
Image: 123RF/Surut Wattanamaetee
The SA Weather Service has warned of a cut-off low-pressure system expected to develop over the western interior on Wednesday, bringing showers and flooding to central and eastern SA.
The service said the system will move into the central interior where it will become quasi-stationary from Thursday until Saturday before dissipating on Sunday.
“Ample tropically sourced air will be advected southwards from northern Namibia and Botswana, where significant rainfall has occurred lately due to the presence of a tropical low called an ‘Africane’,” said SAWS.
It said cut-off lows are notorious for causing severe weather over SA, such as heavy rainfall and flooding.
The weather service said due to the slow-moving nature of the system, persistent rainfall for several days may result in flooding over the central, southern, and eastern parts of the country.
“Rainfall is expected to start in the west (on Monday), and is expected to slowly spread eastward on Tuesday, with heavier showers and thundershowers possible over the interior of the Eastern Cape during the afternoon and evening. Once the cut-off low develops on Wednesday evening, rainfall should become widespread, with the possibility of heavy falls in places, over most of the country, excluding the Western Cape and the western parts of the Northern Cape.”
SAWS says isolated severe thunderstorms may also develop over the central and southern interior due to cooler air aloft associated with the cut-off low.
“Due to the extensive cloud cover associated with this system, cooler daytime temperatures can also be expected over much of South Africa,” the weather service said.
SAWS said, given that the system is only expected to develop on Wednesday, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding the rate at which the system will intensify as well as the location and timing of possible severe weather phenomena.
It will continue to monitor developments and will issue updates as required.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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