Weather Record + Warning

Record:

Highest Daily Rain 45.4 2006-01-02 78.8 2008-01-28
Standerton

Fire Warning

Conditions which could lead to the development and spread of runaway fires are expected in places in the Cape Metropole, Swartland, West Coast District, Boland and the Breede River Valley.

Weather Warning+ New SA Climate Records

Heavy falls of rain will are possible over the extreme north- eastern parts of the Northwest Province, the Western Bushveld of Limpopo and eastern Botswana, this could lead to flooding in Limpopo River Valley.

Hot and humid conditions leading to dangerously high levels of discomfort are expected over north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal.

New Weather Record
Highest Minimum 17.9 1997-01-27 19.4 2008-01-22
Standerton

New Climate Records Yesterday (South Africa)

Lowest Minimum 14.8 2001-01-03 9.3 2008-01-09
Mtunzini

Quite a significant downward jump, over 5 degrees Celcius.

• I saw a hole in a large thundercloud lasy night. Looked like an aeroplane had flown straight through. Quite unusual.

Weather Warning: Gauteng + New SA Climate Records

Thunderstorms over the southern parts of Gauteng and central and eastern Free State may become severe with a risk of large hail and/or damaging winds.

Highest Daily Rain 84mm 1984-01-29 91mm 2008-01-03
Badplaas- Pol
Lowest Maximum 19.2mm 2006-01-08 18.5mm 2008-01-03
Ngqura (Coega)

Lightning was cracking and crashing aginst my windows for a large part of last night. Joburg is amazingly atmospheric weatherwise, more so than Bloem, despite having slightly milder summer and winter temperatures. The thunderstorms here are terrific.

New Weather Records

Lowest Maximum 20.1 1991-12-21 19.9 2007-12-18 Oudestad
Lowest Maximum 20.2 1997-12-18 18.6 2007-12-18 Hoedspruit
Lowest Maximum 18.9 2004-12-09 18.8 2007-12-18
Marken
Lowest Maximum 19.0 1969-12-09 17.0 2007-12-18 Phalaborwa

NVDL:
I noticed that today was particularly cold in Jozi. Ice Age setting in ?-)

Yesterday's All Time Climate Records (South Africa)

Highest Daily Rain
Previously: 78.0mm 1983-11-28
Now: 80.0mm 2007-11-21
Location: Senekal

Highest Daily Rain
Previously: 39.5mm 1964-11-06
Now: 40.8mm 2007-11-21
Location: Cape Agulhas

Highest Daily Rain
Previously: 26.2mm 1997-11-16
Now: 46.2 2007-11-21
Struisbaai

Highest Daily Rain
24.8mm 1996-11-19
33.0mm 2007-11-21
Hermanus

Highest Daily Rain
44.2mm 2001-11-19
101.0mm 2007-11-21
Tygerhoek

Highest Daily Rain
86.0mm 1976-11-23
152.4mm 2007-11-21
Villiersdorp

Highest Daily Rain
16.6mm 2001-11-19
79.2mm 2007-11-21
Worcester

Highest Daily Rain
21.5mm 1976-11-23
65.0mm 2007-11-21
Mcgregor

Highest Daily Rain
41.0mm 1980-11-30
60.0mm 2007-11-21
Robertson

Highest Daily Rain
54.6mm 1995-11-21
71.8mm 2007-11-21
Greytown

Highest Daily Rain
53.0mm 1960-11-12
98.0mm 2007-11-21
Heidelberg

Highest Daily Rain
111.0mm 1996-11-21
206.0mm 2007-11-21
George Weather Office

Highest Daily Rain
82.6mm 1996-11-21
112.4mm 2007-11-21
Knysna

Highest Daily Rain
37.0mm 2000-11-12
41.2mm 2007-11-21
Joubertina

Highest Daily Rain
51.0mm 1982-11-15
55.0mm 2007-11-21
Ladismith AWS

Highest Daily Rain
37.0mm 2000-11-17
41.6mm 2007-11-21
Ladismith

Lowest Maximum
16.5 2002-11-03
15.8 2007-11-21
Molteno Reservior

NVDL: I see George receive 206mm in a single day. I was in George a few weeks ago, and the farms were suffering from one of the driest periods in human memory. It had been so dry that there had been terrible veld fires, and the mountains and landscapes had turned a brittle yellow/khaki green. It doesn't help to lose out on winter rainfall altogether, then have it all made up in a single day. But climate change basically heralds unstable, chaotic, extreme weather. Droughts, floods, unusual weather. Under these conditions, life takes strain, because there is no longer an established pattern to the weather, meaning life sukkels.