Eastern Cape: The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has announced that a cold front is set to move across the southern part of the country on Monday, bringing with it gale force winds ranging from 60 to 70 km/h along the coast between Plettenberg Bay and East London.

According to South African Government News Agency, these conditions are expected to create very rough to high seas with wave heights between 5m and 7m, potentially reaching up to 8m offshore. These challenging weather conditions will pose navigation difficulties for vessels at sea, particularly placing small vessels at risk of taking on water and capsizing. There is also an anticipated disruption to harbours and ports, alongside potential dangers to beachfront activities and risks to life.

The extended weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday indicates fine and cold to cool conditions, transitioning to cloudy and very cold weather in the South West on Wednesday, with a 60% to 80% chance of showers and rain. SAWS has indicated the possibility of snowfall over the mountains in the Western Cape and the southern regions of the Northern Cape on Wednesday.

An intense cold front is also expected to impact the Western and Northern Cape provinces from Wednesday into Thursday. The weather service has issued warnings for very cold, wet, and windy conditions, with maximum temperatures expected below 10°C over high-lying areas. Heavy rainfall, primarily over the western parts of the Western Cape, is anticipated, along with strong interior winds, gale force coastal winds, and very rough to high seas reaching 5.0 to 8.0 meters in certain areas. Light snowfall is also predicted on high ground.