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Rough seas, gale-force winds expected as cold front heads for Western Cape

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Heavy rain in Cape Town.
Heavy rain in Cape Town.
(Photo by Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas)
  • A cold front, which is expected on Friday afternoon, will bring strong winds to the Cape.
  • Rough sea conditions have been forecast for the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
  • Strong winds can be expected in the western interior, into the Northern Cape. 

Another cold front is expected to make landfall in the Western Cape on Friday afternoon, bringing gale-force winds and rough sea conditions.

Coastal areas in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape's south coast will be severely affected.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Level 6 warning for areas in the Eastern Cape. According to the warning, residents can expect damaging waves.

Areas in the Western Cape have received a Level 2 warning for rough seas "leading to possible coastal infrastructure damage and difficulty in navigation at sea is expected between Lambert's Bay and Cape Agulhas from Friday afternoon, spreading to Plettenberg Bay in the evening".

However, there will only be scattered showers and rain, especially over the western parts of the Western Cape. This will spread along the south coast in the evening.

"Whilst rainfall is not expected to be a significant factor with this system, sustained strong to gale-force north-westerly to westerly winds of 55-70 km/h will impact the south-west coast from the morning, spreading along the south coast of the Western Cape in the evening," the SAWS said.

Wave heights of five to six metres can be expected.

"These conditions, coupled with a full moon, are likely to result in dangerous conditions for vessels at sea. This may result in the risk of medium or large vessels dragging anchors or breaking mooring lines. Localised disruptions to beachfront activities and damage to coastal infrastructure may also occur," the SAWS said.

Strong winds will also be seen inland, with speeds of 40 to 60 km/h expected over the western interior of the country, especially over the Western and Northern Cape.

On Monday night, the province experienced cold and wet weather after a cold front made landfall.

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