November's extremely high temperatures continue for an extended period of time, setting new monthly records (Envato Elements)
According to the South African Weather Service, temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-30s next week as the heatwave continues in most parts of the country.
Temperatures in major cities such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Polokwane have hovered between 30 and 35 degrees this week, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Over the past two days, the heatwave has been felt primarily in the Free State and North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, northern Limpopo and northern KwaZulu-Natal, South African Weather Service forecaster Edward Engelbrecht said. Ta.
Temperatures are expected to drop slightly by Friday, but rise again over the weekend, reaching the mid-30s again into next week, he said. Mail and Guardian.
“Temperatures are expected to reach high temperatures, particularly in the Lowveld and western Bushvelds of Limpopo. Regarding Gauteng, temperatures will return to the mid-30s and even lower 30s in most areas of northern Gauteng. “This is also to be expected,” Engelbrecht added.
He said it's not unusual for heat waves to occur this time of year, but they usually don't last this long.
“It's very strange that the heatwave has lasted this long, because we've already had it earlier this week, all week, and again from the weekend.
“It's a little unusual for a heat wave to last for such a long time and have temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, which is above normal for this time of year,” he said.
The rise in temperatures was caused by a phenomenon called a “heat low” that occurred in parts of Namibia and a lack of cold air coming in from the ocean.
“There is no cold front or cold air in the country, so the same situation continues every day, which causes temperatures to rise day by day,” Engelbrecht said.
He said the Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms in some areas on Thursday, including parts of the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, with temperatures likely to drop in the afternoon. “It's not going to be significantly colder,” he said.
