2021 Local Elections

2021 Local Elections

Voting Day Monday: Sunny skies and some clouds forecast – with rain in Western Cape

Voting Day Monday: Sunny skies and some clouds forecast – with rain in Western Cape
(Illustrative Photo: Gallo Images/Foto24/Cornel van Heerden) /IEC Logo. (Photo: Flickr)

Apart from rain and wind in parts of the Western Cape, most other parts of the country can expect favourable weather conditions on voting day, according to the South African Weather Service.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) said on Friday that conditions around the country for Monday 1 November would be generally fine and warm to hot.

A cold front is looming but most South Africans will have voted by the time it reaches them.. The front might affect western parts of the country on polling day, bringing cooler temperatures and wet and windy conditions.

Cape Town has an up to 90% chance of rain.

“There is a cold front that is going to approach the Western Cape and as a result, there is a chance of showers for the Cape Peninsula. The temperatures for Cape Town are minimum 15 degrees celsius and maximum 17 degrees,” said forecaster Bransby Bulo.

The weather forecast is relevant for voter turnout, with good weather favourable to ensure people go out and cast their votes. Apart from the obvious deterrent of rainy weather, empirical evidence from the United States shows that for every 10°C increase in temperature, voter turnout rose by 1.4%, according to a 2017 study. Sunny skies, therefore, might make the wait in potentially long voting queues a lot more bearable.

Provincial forecasts:

  • Gauteng: Partly cloudy and warm. 
  • Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy and warm but hot in the Lowveld. 
  • Limpopo: Fine and warm to hot.
  • North-West: Fine and warm.
  • Free State: Fine and warm.
  • Northern Cape: Cloudy and cool in the west with rain showers, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and warm. 
  • Western Cape: Cloudy and cool in the west with showers along the coast, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and warm.
  • Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy and warm to hot, becoming cooler with rain showers along the south coast and adjacent interior from evening. It will become windy from midday.
  • KwaZulu-Natal: Fine and warm to hot.

 

The metros: 

  • Johannesburg: Maximum 28 degrees and mostly sunny.
  • Pretoria: Maximum 32 degrees and mostly sunny.
  • Durban: Maximum 24 degrees and mostly sunny.
  • Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): Maximum 24 degrees with light showers.  
  • Bloemfontein: Maximum 29 degrees and partly cloudy.
  • Kimberley: Maximum 31 degrees and partly cloudy
  • Cape Town: Maximum 17 degrees and a high chance of heavy rainfall.

“The South African Weather Service will continue to monitor any further developments relating to the weather for election day and will issue subsequent updates as required. Furthermore, the public are urged and encouraged to regularly follow weather forecasts on television and radio,” said SAWS. DM

 

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