An orange Level-6 warning has been issued for parts of the Western Cape this weekend, as widespread showers and thundershowers are forecast by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) for much of the province.
The bulk of these storms is expected over the central and southern parts of the province, according to SAWS.
Residents can expect heavy downpours of 20-30mm per hour, along with strong and gusty winds, lightning and small hail between Friday and Saturday.
The heavy downpours may lead to flooding and damage to homes and infrastructure, SAWS warned.
The warning comes after the province was lashed by heavy rain at the start of this week.
The rain caused flooding in parts of Cape Town, and roads in Du Noon, Somerset West, Gordon’s Bay, Strand, and Muizenberg were affected.
Around 50 homes were flooded in informal settlements in Masiphumelele while 50 homes were flooded in the farming town of De Doorns, with widespread damage caused to farms and residential areas.
Western Cape disaster management teams have remained on high alert.
Local Government and Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell said mopping-up operations were progressing well in all the affected municipalities following the severe weather earlier this week. According to Bredell, the focus has shifted to the next bout of severe weather expected to affect the province from Friday.
Premier Alan Winde urged caution over the long weekend, saying the Western Cape’s roads were likely to see heightened traffic volumes as people leave and arrive in the province. He said the provincial government would be putting additional standby resources in place to respond where needed.
“We appeal to all our road users to please exercise even greater caution when travelling,” said Winde.
“We are also concerned that with the heightened levels of load shedding and the possible severe weather the situation could be further exacerbated.”
Provincial disaster management also put aerial and ground support resources on standby should they be needed, added Bredell.
News24
