There has been snowfall, heavy rain, and flooding across parts of South Africa as a low pressure system moves slowly along the southern coast.

Rainfall affecting coastal areas of South Africa.

Flooding and mudslides have been reported in and around Durban with the city recording 150mm of rainfall in 12 hours on Monday, that’s equal to 5 times its average July rainfall.   Along the coast in Paddock, 315mm of rain has fallen since Sunday, equivalent to around a third of the rainfall it would expect in a whole year.

Meanwhile inland in the southeastern interior there has been heavy snowfall. The South African Weather Service has issued a number of snow warnings and has highlighted the risk of travel disruption for various passes between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.  There is a further 15-25cm of snow expected in the area over the next few days.

Snowfall at Van Reenen. Image courtesy of Ladysmith Gazette.

In addition to the very heavy coastal rainfall, gales or severe gales along the coast could cause structural damage and coastal flooding and may lead to disruption to shipping.  Thunderstorms could cause disruption to flights.

The unsettled weather is expected to continue over the next few days with the potential for a further 75-125mm of rainfall along the coast, which could bring further flooding, and more snow in the mountains and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.