Weather shifts with rising waters, a welcome relief

WHILE it may not quite qualify as "from one extreme to the next", the shift from the furnace-like heat of two weeks ago to the current run of pleasantly mild conditions has been a welcome relief.

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That said, global climate analysts are urging caution. Recent studies suggest that rapid weather fluctuations are becoming the norm, with Earth's already rising temperatures hitting new peaks over the past three years.

For southern Africa, this points toward a future with more frequent La Niña style patterns, bringing higher rainfall, and fewer El Niño driven drought cycles. Judging by how it felt just ten days ago, this warning doesn't seem far-fetched.

The recent rainfall has done wonders for dam levels across KwaZulu-Natal. Midmar Dam is sitting at 99.77% and edging ever closer to full supply level, with the wall already wet and another significant rain likely to see it spill.

Albert Falls and Spring Grove are both well over capacity at 100.74% and 101.07% respectively, setting the province up well as winter approaches. As autumn progresses, conditions should stabilise further, opening the door to some exciting fishing opportunities in the weeks ahead.