Flash floods could heavily impact THREE Western Cape districts on Friday – Photo: Pixabay
Flash floods could heavily impact THREE Western Cape districts on Friday – Photo: Pixabay
Citizens in parts of the Western Cape have been told to take extra precautions on Friday, as the risk of flash floods has increased in some areas. The SA Weather Service has confirmed that a Level 5 thunderstorm warning is in now place for several districts.
Western Cape weather warning for Friday 4 November
Intense bouts of rainfall are expected again later in the day, adding to an already torrential week for the Western Cape. Amongst the weather warnings issued on 4 November, flash floods and thunderstorms stand-out as the biggest concerns.
- Severe thunderstorms are expected over the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape.
- In the central-to-westerly regions of the Western Cape, a warning for ‘flash flooding’ has been issued.
- A ‘rain-on-rain’ situation is developing in the Little and Central Karoo – increasing the risk of damaging floods.
- Up to 30mm of rain could fall in affected areas on Friday – and ‘large hail’ has also been forecast in BOTH provinces.
- Meiringspoort has also been closed, and strong, gusty winds are expected to pose a problem.
- The districts of Beaufort West, Prince Albert, and Laingsburg have been moved up to a LEVEL 5 warning for flash floods.
Level 5 flood alerts in place
The consequences could genuinely be dire. A Level 5 weather warning means that any potential damage to localised infrastructure can be ‘significant’. According to the experts, there’s also a ‘threat to human life’ that needs to be taken seriously.
“The heavy downpours and flash flooding will result in difficult driving conditions for some regions. Localised structural damage and disruption to essential services can also be expected. Lightning poses a risk to the life of livestock.”
“Furthermore, traffic flow could be disrupted by mudslides or rockfalls, which are expected over the Central Karoo. Danger to human life is also a concern, due to fast-flowing streams/deep water – especially where flooding has already occurred this week.” | SAWS statement
