Free State experiences coldest day of the year with light snowfall

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The South African Weather Service in the Free State has marked today as the coldest day of the year so far with light snowfall in the Eastern parts of the province, including Fezile Dabi, Mangaung and Xhariep districts.

However, the light snow is not expected to cause any disruptions.

Weather service spokesperson Michael Nethavhani says the only places to expect disruptive snowfalls are the north-eastern parts of the Eastern Cape and the Lesotho mountains.

Nethavhani says strong winds fanned veld fires that occurred in certain parts of the province on Sunday.

“The frontal systems that moved through yesterday are very intense hence strong winds across several parts of the country resulting into widespread veld fires across the province. So the front today already moved to the east, hence the very cold conditions. Today’s temperatures are generally low 10 degrees Celsius and still windy.  The minimum temperature though is going to go way below -8 in some places -10 along. Those will be the normal temperatures for the next three days.”

Fires in KZN

Meanwhile, in KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi says runaway fires have devastated parts of King Cetshwayo, uThukela, and uMzinyathi Districts.

The widespread veld fires have caused damage to houses and vehicles.

Buthelezi says disaster management teams will ensure that residents impacted by the fires receive the necessary support.

The department says assessments are ongoing in the affected areas to determine the full extent of the damage caused by these fires.

Free State Today ‘s Weather overview: 8.7.2024 pic.twitter.com/fsWBnN8rzI

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) July 8, 2024