Fatshimetrie: South Africa’s Heatwave Continues
The intense heatwave observed in November has broken monthly records in South Africa. The country is facing temperatures expected to remain around 30 degrees Celsius next week, as a heatwave persists across much of the country, according to the South African Weather Service.
The sweltering heat has hit major cities such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Polokwane, with temperatures hovering between 30°C and 35°C this week, the weather service said.
Over the past two days, the heatwave has been felt mainly in the northern Free State and North West, as well as Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and northern KwaZulu-Natal, said weather forecaster Edward Engelbrecht of the South African Weather Service.
Temperatures are expected to drop slightly by Friday, but rise again over the weekend and reach 30 degrees again next week, he told the Mail & Guardian.
“We can expect high temperatures, especially in the Lowveld and Western Bushveld of Limpopo. As for Gauteng, we can also expect temperatures to return to around 30 degrees, and even up to 40 degrees in the northern parts of the province,” Engelbrecht added.
While it is not uncommon to have heatwaves at this time of year, he noted that the current duration was unusual.
“It is quite strange to see a heatwave last this long, because we have already experienced it since the beginning of the week, for the whole week, and again over the weekend. It is a bit unusual for a heatwave to persist for a prolonged period and for us to also see temperatures above 40 degrees, which is above seasonal norms,” he said.
The rising temperatures are being attributed to a phenomenon called a “thermal depression” over parts of Namibia, as well as a lack of cool air coming in from the ocean.
“We don’t have cold fronts or cold air over the country, so we see the same conditions continuing every day, which is gradually increasing the temperature day by day,” Engelbrecht explained.
The Meteorological Service is forecasting isolated showers and thunderstorms in some areas, including parts of the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, on Thursday. This could reduce temperatures in the afternoon, “but is not expected to result in significant cooling.”