The minimum and maximum temperatures for the upcoming spring and early summer in South Africa are expected to be above the normal average, with a number of all-time maximum temperature records already broken along the west coast for specific days during August - particularly on Monday and Tuesday this week.

It's been a cold and ruthless winter - but for a few days this week in the Western Cape, you would never have guessed it with the region experiencing scorching hot weather conditions and record-breaking maximum temperatures, some parts even exceeding 34°C on Tuesday, 29 August (still officially winter).

Particularly warm areas were Paarl, Cape Town, Malmesbury and Alexander Bay, where a slight heatwave was recorded. On Tuesday, in Cape Town, where a maximum temperature of 34°C was registered, beaches were brimming with people seeking relief from the unbearably hot weather.

According to the Climate Shift Index (CSI), reaching this temperature was five times more likely because of climate change. The CSI is a relatively new tool by Climate Central that shows just how much climate change may be affecting our local weather on any given day.

According to the South African Weather Service, these record-breaking temperatures were the result of strong offshore (northerly to northeasterly winds) conditions along the west coast of South Africa associated with a surface trough off the western part of the country and a dominating high pressure over central South Africa.

Stefaan Conradie, a PhD student in climatology from the Climate Systems Analysis...