A section of the N1 between the N7 exit and Sable Road was closed to traffic on 22 July 2024 in Cape Town. (Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais)
- Weather warnings for wind, flooding and fires are in place for coastal provinces.
- A cold front is due to make landfall in the Western Cape on Tuesday.
- Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape have been warned of increased risk of wildfires.
Multiple weather alerts are in place for South Africa’s coastal provinces, leaving authorities on high alert for floods and fires.
In the Western Cape, an Orange Level 6 warning for damaging interior winds has been issued. The strong winds may result in the disruption of travel services and damage to settlements, and risk of runaway fires in large areas is expected over the Garden Route, eastern Overberg, eastern parts of the Cape Winelands and southern Central Karoo municipalities.
Areas in the Eastern Cape are also at risk, the South African Weather Services (SAWS) warned, including the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality and Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality.
A Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging winds that may lead to difficult driving conditions is also in place for the Joe Gqabi and eastern parts of Chris Hani district municipalities; Matatiele, Amahlathi, Raymond Mhlaba and Sundays River Valley local municipalities; as well as the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
Two other weather warnings are in place for the Western Cape, as an intense cold front is expected to affect the province and neighbouring Northern Cape on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The SAWS warned:
The public and small stock farmers are advised that heavy downpours, snowfalls over the mountains, very cold conditions, strong to gale force interior and coastal winds and very rough seas can be expected.
An Orange Level 6 warning for damaging coastal wind and waves that could damage coastal infrastructure and disrupt small harbours and ports is also in place for the areas between Lamberts Bay and Port Alfred, spreading to Alexander Bay in the evening.
A Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive rainfall has been issued for the Cape Winelands, City of Cape Town and parts of the West Coast municipalities. The SAWS warned that the rainfall may result in localised flooding of roads and settlements.
Despite persistent rainfall in the Western Cape on Monday night and Tuesday morning, Colin Deiner, the province’s chief director of disaster management, said no weather-related incidents had been reported at the time of publication.
KwaZulu-Natal authorities say they are on high alert amid a high fire danger warning for parts of the province.
READ | SAWS takes the lead in disaster warning upgrade to reduce ‘unacceptably high number of fatalities’
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi said an SAWS weather warning indicated that the province would experience dry and hot conditions on Tuesday, which are conducive to the development and rapid spread of fires.
The alert comes in the wake of wildfires that swept through KwaZulu–Natal last month, claiming 14 lives, destroying hundreds of thousands of hectares of grazing land, and causing significant damage to vehicles and homes.
READ | Hogsback inferno under control but residents on high alert after strong winds forecast
“Residents across the province are urged to be extra vigilant due to the heightened risk of wildfires under these conditions. Disaster management teams are strategically positioned in areas prone to runaway fires,” said Buthelezi.
The districts most at risk are Zululand, Harry Gwala, uThukela, Amajuba, Mkhanyakude, uMzinyathi and uMgungundlovu.
