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As South Africans enter the New Year 2021, most provinces will experience rain with possible heavy rains in places over KwaZulu Natal, Free State, Northwest Province and Mpumalanga.
This is according to the South African Meteorological Service (SAWS) which says that on New Years Eve (NYE), KwaZulu Natal (KZN) will see significant drops in some places, as well as the eastern tip of the Eastern Cape.
“These sharp declines are expected to continue through the New Year (January 1, 2021) and spread across parts of the Free State, the Northwest and Mpumalanga,” the SAWS said in a statement.
Provinces such as Gauteng and Limpopo will also experience rain during this period, but so far the SAWS models do not indicate strong drops.
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The SAWS says that the rains are expected to continue through the weekend (January 2-3, 2021) for the same provinces that are spread over the North Cape.
“This rain is because tropical moisture is creeping over the central interior of South Africa spreading east and southeast,” they say.
The country will not only experience rain, but also windy conditions and a drop in temperatures, especially in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, and the Highveld of Mpumalanga.
In the Greater SADC region, a tropical storm “Chalane” is currently between Madagascar and central Mozambique, where it is causing heavy rains in places with flooding and strong winds.
This storm is expected to move over north-central areas of Mozambique on Wednesday, where heavy rains and flooding incidents will be limited, spread to Malawi and northern Zimbabwe and continue on Thursday.
“It is this system that will contribute to good to heavy rains over South Africa starting Friday,” SAWS said.
They warned that the rain could trigger severe thunderstorms that could lead to localized flooding, with flooding of roads, settlements and low-lying areas, leading to the closure of some bridges and highways.
They also warned of the possible displacement of affected communities and a danger to life due to rapid streams and deep waters, especially in KZN on New Years Eve that extends to the Free State, North West Province and Mpumalanga on 1 January 2021.
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