Gauteng is bracing itself for the coldest weekend of the year thus far with heavy thunderstorms set to take over the province’s skies from Friday.
Gautengers advised to brace for the coldest weekend of the year
Early signs of what promises to be a cold Fall have been seen in most parts of South Africa. On Friday, a cold and wet current is expected to pass through the eastern coastal regions of the country.
Already, in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, red alerts have been issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) on the possibility of localised floods “as well as traffic disruptions due to slippery roads and reduced visibility.”
This thick, dark stormy cloud will, as we progress towards the tail-end of Friday, make its way to Gauteng, bringing along with it, bouts of new temperature lows for 2021 and moderately high precipitation levels.
⚠️ ALERT: STUBBORN COLD SNAP in GAUTENG BEGINNING EARLY FRIDAY UNTIL AT LEAST MONDAY. Overnight temperatures likely to drop to fresh 2021 lows!!!
— Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) April 29, 2021
Gauteng weather: Thunderstorm forecast for this weekend
Here is a weekend weather forecast for Gauteng, with visualisers of the thunderstorm taken from Ventusky.
Friday 30 April 2021
Trickles of sparse rain will be felt in parts of Gauteng, like Vereeniging, Rustenburg and Krugersdorp. on Friday morning. Rainfall dropping at 0.9mm should serve as an early indicator of a cold front approaching from the Free State.
As the day progresses, temperatures are expected to sit between 17 and 19°C with moderate thunderstorms hovering over mot parts of the province, including Johannesburg.
Saturday 1 May 2021
According to Ventusky readings, the passing thunderstorm is expected to clear on Saturday morning, with small chances of trickles here and there, further east of the province.
However, temperatures will likely remain in the low end at 10°C in the morning. These conditions are expected to rise up to a maximum of 19°C later in the day before they slump into new lows late in the evening.
Sunday 2 May 2021
The weekend’s record low temperature will likely be felt in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Things are expected to start off on a freezing note with minimum temperatures tipped to drop to about 9°C.
Gautengers should expect maximum temperatures to reach 17°C but this will be short-lived, as the persistent cold front is likely to set in late in the evening all the way through to Monday where morning temperatures are expected to drop to a new record low of 8°C.