Can you feel it creeping in? The cold wintery days, the loss of sunshine and high temperatures, they are starting to show up more frequently.
Johannesburg, South Africa (28 April 2020) – Rain, rains, please stay! The last few days have been but a mere teaser for the coming winter. It has been quite chilly lately. Sure we have had a few warm days scattered in between, but there is no mistaking that winter is on the way.
For summer lovers like us, we always dread the cold spells but thankfully, even winter has sunny days in Gauteng.
The cold spells that have been gracing the Northern parts of South Africa have come with chills, hail, snow and endless nights of rain. We can’t complain, Gauteng has a dry winter season so any form or precipitation helps us get through the winter.
Our neighbours, Lesotho, have had a few very cold spells with snow settling on the ground. Speaking to Martin Schultz from AfriSki, he confirmed that it has been snowing in the landlocked country and that last night, temps dropped to a chilly -1 degrees Celcius. Martin said they expected it to get much colder.
We asked him how the communities were coping during the lockdown. Martin said that the surrounding communities were coping fine, but are looking forward to when tourists visit again. The locals love hosting tourists. We have previously reported on the kindness of the Lesotho locals and how they opened their homes to stranded South African tourists.
Living in Gauteng, it feels a little more like Cape Town minus the wind. The cold rainy days can be quite gloomy but being on lockdown, it is easy to tolerate the days.
What are you doing to stay warm and cosy? Lots of tea? Blankets and Pjs? Let us know how you cope with the cold.
While we are discussing the chilly weather, it is important to remind you all about our dam levels and water restrictions currently in place.
Currently, the four dams in Gauteng managed by Rand Water are looking good. The Vaal Dam could do with this rainfall though, it is sitting on 52.09%. These measurements were taken on the 23rd of April so they do not factor in the weekend rains.
Vaal Dam
Percentage: 52.09%
Level: 17.83
Volume: 1354
Flow: 17
Rainfall: 0
Last update: 23 April 2020
Sterkfontein Dam
Percentage: 93.1%
Level: 79.3
Volume:
Flow: 0
Rainfall:
Last update: 23 April 2020
Grootdraai Dam
Percentage: 95.71%
Level: 26.29
Volume:
Flow: 2
Rainfall:
Last update: 23 April 2020
Bloemhof Dam
Percentage: 95%
Level: 17.72
Volume:
Flow: 2
Rainfall: ivy
Last update: 23 April 2020
While level 1 restrictions have been in place all along, it is essential to remember what that means. The level 1 restriction means the following needs to be adhered to daily:
- Watering of gardens is only allowed between 18:00-06:00 (1 September and 31 March); and between 16:00-08:00 (1 April and 31 August).
- All consumers are prohibited from using a hose-pipe to clean paved areas, roofs and driveways with municipal water.
- Sports fields are only allowed to be watered for two hours per day, twice per week. This includes the watering of cricket pitches, golf course greens and bowling greens.
City of Johannesburg residents are reminded that level 1 water restrictions are still in place enforceable by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, and consumers are urged to report non-compliance using the 24/7 hotline on 011 758 9650.
All residents are encouraged to report water and sanitation problems on the Call Centre 011 375 5555 and social media pages: Twitter- @Jhbwater and Facebook – Johannesburg Water. They also post helpful tips for saving water across their social media platforms.
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