City of Cape Town flood risk Western Cape

Flooding after heavy rain at the Waterfront informal settlement in Philippi, Cape Town on 10 June 2020. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks / GroundUp.

Cape Town weather warning: Two cold fronts to bring rain AGAIN

The South African Weather Service warned that localised flooding is possibility when two cold fronts make landfall in Cape Town on Thursday.

City of Cape Town flood risk Western Cape

Flooding after heavy rain at the Waterfront informal settlement in Philippi, Cape Town on 10 June 2020. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks / GroundUp.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for rain in the Western Cape, on Wednesday, 22 June, as two cold fronts are expected to make landfall this week.

FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN CAPE TOWN AGAIN

The warning is valid from 6:00 on Thursday, 23 June until 12:00 on Friday, according to the weather service.

Two cold fronts are expected to hit the Western Cape on Thursday morning, bringing between 15 to 20mm of rain to the south-western parts of the province before spreading to the south coast and the Little Karoo by the afternoon.

“The bulk of the rain is expected over the eastern parts of the south coast from the afternoon into Friday morning, where rainfall accumulations can reach 20 to 40mm over 36 hours,” said SAWS.

The weather service is monitoring the situation and will issue further updates if necessary.

The potential impacts include:

  • Localised flooding of susceptible informal settlements and roads.
  • Motor vehicle accidents due to wet and slippery roads and reduced visibility are a possibility.
  • Traffic delays on major roads in the City of Cape Town are expected on Thursday morning.
  • Traffic delays on major roads along the Garden Route are expected from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning.

The City of Cape Town’s winter readiness program was questioned after heavy rains brought flooding to large parts of the metro last week.

READ: Cape Town cold front: More than 100mm of rain fell in these areas