Long weekend travel warning: what snow could mean for your road trip
· The South African
A long weekend snow warning is now in place for South Africa, just as Monday’s public holiday has a lot of South Africans planning road trips.
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Unfortunately, the weather has other plans, and drivers heading through the country’s higher-lying regions may want to build in some flexibility.
What SAWS is forecasting for this long weekend snow event
SAWS expects a cold front, accompanied by a steep upper-air trough, to make landfall over the Western Cape and Northern Cape on Sunday, 9 August, bringing cold to very cold, wet and windy conditions, rough seas, and snowfall over mountainous areas.
According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), the system will spread eastwards into the Eastern Cape as it moves across the country.
By Monday, 10 August, SAWS expects the upper-air trough to deepen further over the central and eastern parts of the country.
Scattered to widespread rain is forecast over the southern regions, while snow is expected specifically over the mountainous parts of the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
There is a low probability of light snowfall in some higher-lying areas outside those three provinces, but forecasters say confidence remains highest for those mountain ranges.
What this could mean if you’re driving
This long weekend snow risk means mountain passes in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga are usually the first routes affected. They can close with little warning once conditions turn.
If your long weekend plans take you anywhere near the Drakensberg, the Free State’s high-lying roads, or Mpumalanga’s escarpment routes, check road conditions again closer to the time. Don’t rely on today’s forecast alone.
Pack for genuine cold if you’re heading that way: warm layers, a full tank, and a backup route in mind.
Even drivers not heading into the mountains themselves should expect a sharp, countrywide drop in temperature.
The cold will reach right across the country over the long weekend.
I always tell people the same thing before a long weekend snow system like this arrives.
Plan for the forecast to shift, not to hold.
Are your long weekend plans taking you anywhere near the affected regions?
Let us know in the comments below, Mzansi …