Snow in late winter, early spring ‘not unusual’ - SAWS
The South African Weather Service says there is nothing unusual about snowfall in late winter and early spring.
Two weeks ago, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State were hit by a heavy snowstorm, which left more than 800 motorists trapped on the N3 near Van Reenen's Pass.
A 39-year-old woman died from hypothermia.
Briefing the media on Tuesday, SAWS forecaster Rudzani Malala said the country experienced something similar in October 2011.
"In fact, the more intense extreme snow systems tend to affect southern Africa in very late winter, especially over the eastern provinces. We have even had snow in Johannesburg as late as October.
"You will remember the incident that occurred in 2011. Snow is a phenomenon not restricted only to the winter months. On rare occasions, three times in the past century, snow has occurred on New Year's Day over the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg."
Malala added that cool temperatures are to be expected throughout the week in the eastern parts of the country.
"Over the next few days, a surface-high region south of the subcontinent will continue to advect cool, moisture-laden air over our eastern provinces.
"This will result in a sustained chance of light showers or rain over the KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Mpumalanga. A surface-high region is a high-pressure system of which the consequence there is rain.
"Towards the end of the week, the eastern parts dry out and warm up, with the emphasis shifting to the extremities of the country.
"When approaching upper-air disturbances over the Atlantic Ocean, it is expected to promote the development of isolated showers and thundershowers over Namibia as well as the coast and adjacent interior of the Northern Cape.
"Consequently, in the week ahead, the weather is expected to be fairly benign, with no particularly severe or extreme weather anticipated by the South African Weather Service at this stage.
"In general, however, the public should remain vigilant as the upcoming months of October and November in the high-fold region encompassing the northern Free State, Gauteng, and the eastern high veld of Mpumalanga are well known to be particularly associated with severe storms and the possibility of large, damaging haze and or strong, damaging surface winds, more so than at any other time of the year.
"Moreover, given the expectation of a relatively hot summer over much of the country, communities should also be mindful of the likelihood of sustained spells.”
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