Come rain or snow, Joburg Emergency Service on high alert
With a forecast for snow and a cold front looming, Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) said they are prepared for any eventuality that may occur.
According to Vox Weather, the mercury is expected to drop below 20°C on Monday, 9 June,` as residents scurry to get their blankets out and keep warm.
The first of the winter cold fronts moving over parts of the country is a preview of the rest of the season.
Gauteng snow?
Regional forecaster Gauteng Weather has also warned residents to brace for freezing weather.
'Early forecast suggests powerful cold snap in Gauteng beginning Monday!!!' it said on X.
While Gauteng residents were hoping for a surprise snowfall, Vox Weather said the European model (ECMWF) is no longer showing snow for Gauteng.
'We're not ruling out ice rain or the chance of a few light flurries,' it said.
ALSO READ: Winter wonderland: Snow expected in Gauteng next week
High alert
Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said they are on high alert.
'It's extremely cold in most parts of the city of Johannesburg. Residents are urged to continue to exercise caution when using heating devices —things like heaters, paraffin stoves, braziers or Imbaula.'
He said residents should not leave these heating devices unattended while in use to prevent fire incidents.
'From our side as a City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, we remain on alert monitoring all seven regions of the city, especially our vulnerable communities, our informal settlements throughout the city, to ensure that we can be able to respond to any emergencies which might occur during this extremely cold temperatures,' Mulaudzi said.
'Life-threatening snow'
Meanwhile, Vox Weather has warned of 'life-threatening snow possible for parts of the Eastern Cape and Lesotho.
The ECMWF model is indicating that heavy snowfall of more than 40cm could accumulate over two days in the Nuweveld Mountains, north of Beaufort West, and near Nieu-Bethesda.
'Both ECMWF and Global Forecasting System (GFS) now suggest life-threatening snowfall over 50cm (half a metre) possible in the Southern Drakensberg near towns like Barkly East, Lady Grey and Khowa. Up to 70cm expected on nearby mountain passes!'
'Less snow is now expected over the Western Cape mountains than previously forecast. Keep in mind, as we've seen many times before, cut-off lows are highly unpredictable, and forecasts can change quickly from day to day,' Vox Weather said.
Warning: Do not attempt a snow chase
Vox said snow remains possible over the southern Free State, with a light dusting even as far north as Schweizer-Reneke in the North West.
Disruptive snowfall likely in Lesotho, Eastern Cape (including the Southern Drakensberg, Barkly East, and surrounding areas)
'This is a very dangerous snow event. Please do not attempt a snow chase in the Eastern Cape. Mountain passes could close, roads may become impassable, and vehicles could easily get stranded in severe conditions,' Vox Weather warned.
NOW READ: Eskom winter outlook: Here's how many days of load shedding to expect in SA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
9 hours ago
- The Citizen
Snow in parts of SA this week — what Pretoria residents can expect
Snow in parts of SA this week — what Pretoria residents can expect Pretoria residents may wake up to icy mornings this week as snow is forecast to fall over parts of South Africa, bringing a sharp drop in temperatures across the interior. While Pretoria itself is not expected to see snow, the cold front driving the wintry weather will make for noticeably colder days and bitter nights in the capital. #WeatherUpdate #ColdFront #RainyWeek #SnowAlert #SouthAfricaWeather #greenscreenvideo ♬ Knowledge – Vin Music @vox_weather_girls Vox Weather Update | 21–25 July 2025 🌧️ A cold front kicks off the week with wet, windy, and cold conditions over the Cape Provinces. ⛈️ Scattered showers and thunderstorms will stretch across parts of the Northern and Eastern Cape, Free State, and the east coast on Monday. 🌬️ An upper-air trough, ridging high, and surface trough will work together this week to keep isolated to scattered showers and a few storms over the interior with chilly conditions persisting in many regions. ❄️ Snow is expected but will be confined to Lesotho and the surrounding high-lying regions. #VoxWeatherGirls According to Vox Weather forecasters, a strong cold front is sweeping across the country, with snowfall predicted over high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape, southern Drakensberg, and parts of Lesotho from late Monday into Wednesday. Some light snow is also possible on the mountains of the Free State and the northern highlands of KwaZulu-Natal. This system will drag cold air into Gauteng, including Pretoria, lowering daytime highs to between 14–16 °C midweek, with overnight temperatures plummeting to as low as 1–3 °C in the early mornings. Frost is likely in outlying areas, and residents can expect icy winds and hazy, dry skies through Wednesday. By Thursday and Friday, conditions in Pretoria are expected to improve slightly, with sunnier skies and highs returning to around 18–20 °C, though nights will remain chilly. Elsewhere, the Western Cape will experience rain and strong winds along the coast as the front moves through, while the Eastern Cape and Drakensberg regions are expected to face heavier snowfall and possible road closures. Motorists are advised to drive with caution in areas where snow and ice may affect road conditions. Pretoria residents are advised to dress warmly in layers, keep blankets handy, and exercise caution when travelling early in the morning or late at night, as temperatures will be at their coldest. Those planning trips to snow-affected regions should check road conditions and weather alerts before setting out. The South African Weather Service has urged residents to remain vigilant for further advisories as the front progresses. Also read: SASSA payment dates for August 2025: What you need to know Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
eNCA
05-07-2025
- eNCA
Meltdown: Swiss glaciers hit annual tipping point weeks early
GENEVA - The snow and ice accumulated last winter by Switzerland's glaciers has already melted away, a monitoring service said, with Friday marking the alarming second-earliest arrival on record of the tipping point known as glacier loss day. All further melting between now and October will see the size of glaciers in the Swiss Alps shrink, according to Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS). This century, the tipping point, on average, has been reached in mid-August -- itself already bad news for the nation's 1,400 glaciers, which are shrinking at a staggering rate. Its arrival several weeks earlier on July 4 is "another alarm call", GLAMOS chief Matthias Huss told AFP. "It's like the glaciers are shouting out: 'We're disappearing. Help us.'" Glaciers in the Swiss Alps began to retreat about 170 years ago. The retreat was initially modest but in recent decades, melting has accelerated significantly as the climate warms. The volume of Swiss glaciers shrank by 38 percent between 2000 and 2024. - Summer of destruction - "If we have a glacier loss day, it means that the glacier is losing mass," said Huss. "For a glacier that is healthy, the day would occur at the end of September, or in October -- or not at all". With no glacier loss day, the summer would simply melt away only the snow that accumulated over the previous winter. This would be "the ideal case -- a glacier in equilibrium with the climate", said Huss. AFP | Fabrice COFFRINI Its arrival on July 4 means that "critically, we have the whole summer left to destroy the ice". "Moving this day forward by five to six weeks before the normal date over the last 20 years means we're just prolonging this mass loss season dramatically," he said. The assessment is made using 12 reference glaciers. Last winter saw low levels of snowfall, and June was the second warmest on record, contributing to the day's early arrival this year. In data going back to 2000, the only time that the tipping point arrived even earlier was in 2022, when it came on June 26. "That was really a game-changer for us glaciologists because it was the first year when we saw absolutely extreme melting. "Everything that we knew before about glacier melting changed," said Huss. Experts thought 2022 was a complete outlier and although a warming climate meant other such years would be coming down the line, they did not expect to see the next very early glacier loss day coming so soon afterwards. - Feedback effect - Huss noted that extreme melting produces an accelerating feedback effect, worsening the situation even further. Once the reflective white snow coverage from winter is gone from the top of the glacier, the darker, more absorbent grey surface of the bare ice is exposed. AFP | Fabrice COFFRINI "With the same amount of solar radiation, we can now melt more ice," Huss said. With the European heatwave over the past week and the possibility of further heatwaves in July and August, "it is very like that again it is a very bad year for Swiss glaciers", he said. Melting glaciers threaten the long-term water security for millions of people downstream who rely on them for fresh water. Much of the water that flows into the Rhine and the Rhone, two of Europe's major rivers, comes from the Alpine glaciers.
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- The Citizen
Look: Snow confirmed in SA and Lesotho
Several parts of South Africa and Lesotho woke up under a blanket of snow today, with breathtaking scenes shared from the Eastern Cape mountains, southern Drakensberg, Lesotho and the Karoo, where the icy weather delivered on forecasts overnight. Pretoria Rekord reports that the snow is part of a broader wintry system, bringing rain, thunderstorms, and freezing temperatures to much of the country. And, Gauteng is feeling the chill too. According to Michelle du Plessis, a forecaster at VoxWeather, the powerful cut-off low and another intense cold front sweeping across the country have already produced widespread showers, heavy snow in the highlands and freezing conditions. While Gauteng residents are enduring bitterly cold weather, Du Plessis explained that the chances of seeing snow settle in the province remain slim. 'Any snow that falls in Gauteng is likely to melt before reaching the ground. More likely, residents will see soft hail or graupel rather than true snow,' she said, adding that the province's elevation is simply too low for significant accumulation. Meanwhile, the Western Cape braces for up to 80mm of rain, and the South African Weather Service has issued a Level 4 warning for disruptive rainfall and possible flooding in the province as the next front moves through. In Gauteng, temperatures will remain below 20 °C today, with showers possible later, a slight reprieve by Sunday, and another cold snap forecast for early next week. Take a look at some of the stunning snow photos from across the country and, keep your cameras ready, just in case Gauteng gets an icy surprise! Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
