Freezing levels are set to drop on Friday, bringing light snow to the northern Eastern Cape.
- Temperatures are set to drop on Friday, bringing light snow to the northern Eastern Cape.
- KwaZulu-Natal’s Drakensberg region will experience biting cold, although significant snowfall is unlikely this weekend.
- Forecasters expect the weather system to move away by Saturday, leaving behind chilly but clear conditions.
A cold front is set to dust the Eastern Cape highlands with snow this Friday, and in KwaZulu-Natal, residents have been warned to wrap up warm as the mercury drops.
South African Weather Service (SAWS) forecaster Kagisho Nakedi said the northwestern and northern parts of the Eastern Cape would be most affected.
“We’re going to expect snow in the northern parts of the Eastern Cape,” Nakedi said.
However, Nakedi noted that the system was expected to move along quickly, with no further snowfall anticipated for Saturday or Sunday.
Chilly Drakensberg weekend
While the Eastern Cape gets snowflakes, the Drakensberg peaks will have to settle for frost. Daytime temperatures in the affected mountainous areas of KwaZulu-Natal are expected to hover at 3°C.
Nakedi said:
Over the Drakensberg peak mountains, we can expect cold conditions from Friday, moving into Saturday.
‘Icing sugar’ and tourism
In the Sani Pass area, locals are taking the sudden chill in their stride.
Esme Clacton of Sani Pass Tours reported morning temperatures of approximately 4°C and noted that the lack of wind made the cold manageable.
“If it snows now, it’s usually just a little bit. It looks like icing sugar in most cases,” Clacton said.
Weather forecast for today and tomorrow, 30 April 2026 – 01 May 2026:
Partly cloudy in the west, otherwise cloudy and cold to cool with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers but widespread over the central interior where severe thunderstorms are expected. #saws #flood pic.twitter.com/H6QALkZJsH— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) April 30, 2026
Clacton explained that significant snowfall – the kind that covers the landscape – usually only arrives between July and September, typically making its first appearance on Black Mountain.
“We had our first frost yesterday morning, and it melted quickly by about 10 o’clock,” she said. “We just need more rain, and once we get that, we know snow is near.”
