South Africa Braces For Warm Week Followed By Light Snowfall: SAWS

South Africans should expect a combination of warm and cool temperatures in the coming days, with a significant drop in temperatures and light snowfall predicted later this month, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS).

This follows a weekend of freezing temperatures and snowfall in some areas, which caused major disruptions on the roads and resulted in one death.

Lehlogonolo Thobela, a forecaster at the SAWS, said Tuesday warm conditions are expected in many parts of the country.

"Today we are expecting just warm temperatures over the central parts, ranging between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius, that's on average in the Northern Cape province," Thobela said, SA News reported.

He added, "In Gauteng, the weather will be cooler in the south but warm in the northern areas, with maximum temperatures reaching about 25 degrees in the north and about 24 to 22 degrees over the southern parts."

The Eastern Cape will have different weather conditions with cool temperatures in the northeastern areas and warmer, even hot, temperatures in the south. Thobela explained that it will be quite cool in most of the northeastern part of the Eastern Cape while the southern part will be warm to hot.

In the Western Cape, cooler conditions are expected in the west, but warmer weather will be seen in the east. Thobela mentioned that generally warm temperatures are expected across the country.

Looking ahead to Wednesday, Thobela predicted hot temperatures in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, reaching highs of 34 degrees Celsius with similarly warm to hot conditions expected in Limpopo.

Thobela noted that it will be warm in most parts of the country with maximum temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius in the central areas. He mentioned that cooler weather will continue in the Western Cape, especially along the west coast, where temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 22 degrees Celsius.

The heat is expected to last throughout the week, particularly in Limpopo and the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, with hot conditions predicted for September 26th and 27th. Thobela further said that it will be hot in most areas of Limpopo on those days.

Central regions such as the Free State, North West, and Gauteng will also stay warm during this time. However, a massive drop in temperatures is expected later in the month, starting on Sept. 29.