South Africa seems to be caught in the midst of the late-winter-early-spring transition where parts of the country are bursting with flowers while other areas are expecting snow.
Storm Report SA said on Facebook that a strong cold front is expected to hit parts of the country on Thursday, 26 August over the Western Cape followed by an Upper Air Trough (Possibly a Closed Low) on Saturday, 28 August.
Weather models are also suggesting significant snowfall this weekend over Lesotho, KZN, and the Eastern Cape. Lighter snowfall over the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and the Free State is expected.
‘The latest GFS model is suggesting a strong cold front on Thursday followed by a strong upper air Closed Low,’ the page said.
What is a closed low?
Storm Report SA explains:
‘When we look at upper air troughs we typically look at a height of about 5.5 km or air pressure of 500 hPa.
‘Closed lows start as upper air troughs that close off from the mean westerly flow of the mid-latitudes but do not completely detach. When the system completely detaches from the westerly flow it is called a cut-off low.’
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