14 November 2008
Record rainfall figures for this time of the year are expected in the wake of the storm that has lashed large parts of the western Cape this week.
While Cape Town Weather Office staff were still scrambling to collect and compile the latest data this morning, 24-hour rainfall figures reflecting the period from Wednesday to on Thursday at 8am showed how the Boland, Overberg and south coast areas had been especially hard hit.
Villiersdorp had 150mm of rain over that period, Kleinmond 102mm, Worcester 92mm and the small town of McGregor near Robertson 73mm.
By that time, George had already had 68mm and the worst of the rain was still to arrive there. On Thursday, it continued raining heavily over the Garden Route area and it was expected to continue during the first half of today, especially in the Knysna and Plettenberg Bay areas, the Cape Town Weather Office warned.
The Breede River that flows from Wolseley in the Boland to the Southern Cape coast at Witsand near Swellendam is said to be at its highest, flooding farmland on its banks.
But summer weather is returning to Cape Town, said forecaster Lynette van Schalkwyk.
In an ironic twist to the weather conditions experienced this week, the Volvo Ocean Race yachts will most likely start in light southerly conditions in Table Bay tomorrow.
The powerful yachts with their experienced professional crews, used to fierce weather and seas far away from land, should be able to set their lightest spinnakers in 15-knot southerly winds for the start at 2pm.
Cape Town should have sunny, warm weather throughout the weekend and no rain was forecast for the foreseeable future, said Van Schalkwyk.
The rain from the storm system should stop falling by this evening in the Southern Cape, bringing dry weather there too, she said.
A small amount of rain could, however, fall there again on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, the start of the big yacht race has been designed with spectators on the beach in mind.
The yachts will race along a triangular course from the start outside the harbour to a mark off Table View and back to a mark at Milnerton, before sailing past Green Point and out to sea.
Even then, they are expected to hug the coast up to Cape Point before breaking away up the Indian Ocean to India.
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