A strong cold front is sweeping, bringing a sharp temperature drop and wintry conditions to much of the Western and Northern Cape..
Here’s what you need to know.
Two cold fronts
SAWS says a cold front “is expected to slip south of the country by Wednesday morning.” Residents can expect temperatures below 10 °C.
Local stock farmers and residents are advised to prepare: bring livestock and vulnerable people into shelter and stay alert to weather warnings.
Another cold front is expected to move in from the south by Thursday evening, with “very cold daytime temperatures expected” through to Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape is still reeling from recent floods triggered by heavy rain.
Caution:
Hitting right after disastrous flooding, this cold front complicates recovery efforts. Homes may be unstable, roads impassable, and resources stretched thin.
And then, also:
- Health risks: Sudden temperature drops increase vulnerability to hypothermia, particularly among flood-impacted communities living in makeshift, damp shelters.
- Agricultural strain: Prolonged cold and frost risk damaging crops in the interior. Farmers should monitor weather alerts closely and take protective action.
Eastern Cape floods
This summary was generated using AI:
- Severe flooding killed at least 90 people.
- Flooding swept away homes, vehicles, and a school bus.
- Entire villages submerged, people displaced, schools flooded.
- EC coastal zones logged over 100 mm of rain and winds up to 100 km/h.
- Torrential rain and snow from a powerful cut-off low hit the Eastern Cape.
Heavy rains and flooding hit the Mthatha area and the broader Eastern Cape region on 10 June 2025.
Homes and vehicles were submerged, residents were stranded on rooftops or trapped in trees, and the tragic loss of a school minibus carrying students plunged communities into crisis.
Local authorities and NGOs are scrambling to provide relief, but rural areas remain cut off and powerless.
Experts say climate change is supercharging these storm systems. The rising likelihood of cut-off lows leads to unpredictable weather patterns.
Load shedding?
Although Eskom has avoided load-shedding so far, unplanned outages exceeded thresholds and creeps too close to stage-based blackouts.
On Youth Day, Eskom said the widespread storm damage in KwaZulu-Natal left more than 190,000 residents without power.
Some 163 networks were affected. “The storm’s impact has been devastating, with infrastructure severely damaged in multiple areas.”