The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of an intense winter storm expected to grip most parts of the country starting this weekend, bringing snow, icy temperatures, heavy rain, and strong winds.
In a weather advisory issued on Thursday, 05 June, SAWS said the system, driven by a powerful cut-off low (COL), will begin affecting the Western and Northern Cape early Saturday, 7 June, before sweeping across the central and eastern regions by Monday and Tuesday.
Snowfalls are expected over nearly all provinces with the exception of Limpopo. In some areas, the snow may be heavy enough to disrupt transport, especially over mountain passes such as Van Reenen’s Pass on the N3, where conditions could become hazardous on Monday and Tuesday.
SAWS has also issued a warning to farmers, particularly those who keep small livestock, to take urgent protective measures against exposure to bitter cold and strong winds.
The system is expected to bring a dramatic drop in daytime temperatures across most of the country. From Sunday, maximum temperatures in many areas may not exceed 10°C.
These already cold conditions will be made worse by strong, gusty winds, adding to the risk of exposure-related harm to both people and animals.
Other expected impacts include strong interior winds from Sunday, which will increase the danger of runaway veld fires, particularly in the central and eastern parts of the country.
Coastal regions will also experience near-gale to gale-force winds, with very rough seas expected along the south-west coast from Friday, spreading eastwards into next week.
Localised flooding and infrastructure damage may also occur, especially along the Eastern Cape coast on Sunday, with conditions worsening in southern KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
Severe thunderstorms are also a concern. SAWS has warned about the possibility of damaging hail and strong winds over parts of the North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal on Monday and Tuesday.
There is a low but significant chance of light snowfall reaching Gauteng and the highveld region of Mpumalanga late Monday into Tuesday, although weather models remain uncertain.
For those participating in the 2025 Comrades Marathon on Sunday, weather conditions during the morning are expected to be mostly mild to warm, with partly cloudy skies and gusty winds along the route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
However, later in the day, runners may experience a shift to cooler and wetter weather as a coastal low and cold front move up the KwaZulu-Natal coast, bringing a risk of showers or thunderstorms in the evening.
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