Extreme weather, including heavy downpours of rain, hail, thunder and snow was reported over large parts of the country after the latest cut-off low hit South Africa’s shores this week.
This has brought devastating storm damage, including uprooted trees in Knysna and Uitenhage, heavily flooded roads in Nelson Mandela Bay, and even large boulders rolling off mountain passes onto the road between Haarlem, Avontuur and Uniondale.
Devastating storm damage
In Knysna’s Main Road, a woman motorist was killed when a tree fell on her car yesterday.
And for a few hours the town was effectively cut off as trees blocked the N2 highway in a number of places.
More than 120 hikers were evacuated late on Tuesday from the Baviaanskloof, inland of the Garden Route, ahead of heavy rain.
According to reports, it was difficult to tell how much rain fell in that area from Tuesday night to yesterday, because rain gauges had overflowed. A standard rain gauge reads up to 100mm.
Snow was spotted in Richmond in the Northern Cape and over parts of the Northern Drakensberg. Elevated sea conditions at Victoria Bay resulted in seawater pushing up past the public restrooms and into surrounding areas, it was reported.
Heavy downpours were reported from Limpopo, accompanied by intense lightning, a large hail storm hit Gauteng and downpours were reported in Bloemfontein.
Cut-off low acting like upper-level cyclone – Vorster
A cloud wall with straight-line winds and a microburst, which could easily be mistaken for a possible tornado, was spotted on the N11 in Molare and Eikeboom north of Middelburg.
Weather Hooligan Juandre Vorster said this cut-off low was acting like an upper-level cyclone and was at its peak yesterday.
Vorster said a cut-off low has that characteristic; it’s basically an upper-level cyclone.
“From Port Alfred to East London to Umtata is basically the eye of the storm, or calm zone.
“It’s circulating from East London and George and coming through with the tail of the storm, which can be 300km to 500km long at the south and is circulating right around the Eastern Cape. It’s close to land,” he added.
The SA Weather Service issued several storm warnings yesterday as the cut-off low continued to spread rain and cold as it passed through the country.
Orange Level 8 rain and Level 6 wind warnings
Eight weather warnings ranging from an Orange Level 8 to Yellow Level 2 for disruptive rain along with an Orange Level 5 warning of disruptive snow leading to pass closures and an Orange Level 5 for damaging winds and an Orange Level 6 for damaging winds and waves leading to damage were issued for parts of Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
Weather Guru Garth Sampson said the last big storm of this proportion was in August 2006.
“Most places in Gqeberha as well as Uitenhage/Kariega had 100mm-plus, with a high in Newton Park at 130mm-plus by Wednesday morning.
“Loerie had 175mm and Plett 150mm with Port Alfred at 115mm.
“Catchment Langekloof had more than 100mm with all gauges overflowing and Kareedouw was at 140mm-plus,” he said.
Residents reported the Molopo River, near Noenieput, located about 167km from Upington and about 14km from the Namibian border in the heart of the Kalahari, has started flowing downstream to the Orange River for the first time in 100 years.
Dry rivers are alive and deeply connected to landscapes
WaterCAN manager Ferrial Adams said when the Molopo flows, it reminds us that even our driest rivers are alive and deeply connected to the landscapes around them.
“These moments of strong rainfall are not just dramatic, they help recharge the groundwater that communities and ecosystems rely on.
“But they also show us the opportunity we have: if we protect our rivers and manage them well, we can make the most of every drop,” she added.
Adams added that in a changing climate, that’s not just important, it’s essential.
And nationally, we have not done enough to protect our river systems.
After a Level 2 warning from the SA Weather Service, around 125 schools in the Western Cape closed yesterday, and were expected to return to school tomorrow.
Officials urged residents to stay home
Garden Route mayor Marais Kruger reinforced the MEC’s message in a video posted on social media yesterday, encouraging members of the community to “please stay home” as the wind picked up.
In a separate incident yesterday in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, during the early hours of the morning a tree fell onto several shacks in the Makausi informal settlement.
Rescue teams from the City of Ekurhuleni responded to reports of a large tree that had collapsed on many shacks.
Emergency Management Services (EMS) personnel on scene discovered two young adults trapped beneath a large tree.
When the tree fell onto the shacks it apparently claimed the life of a young woman, whose age has not yet been revealed.
Three other people sustained minor injuries.
Rescue teams cut enormous branches
Rescue teams had to cut through one of the tree’s enormous branches to reach the trapped victims.
One of them regained consciousness after being freed, while the other remained unresponsive and was declared deceased by the emergency services personnel on the scene.
