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SAWS: WET SUMMER WITH SEVERE STORMS FORECAST

- Marizka Coetzer

If you thought a tornado in Pretoria earlier this year or rain in July was weird, hold on to your hat because the SA Weather Service (Saws) predicts a wet summer with severe storms due to a La Niña system heading to SA.

Saws scientist Cobus Olivier said its seasonal forecast reveals that summer will be hotter than normal, with rainfall patterns that are likely to favour above-normal rain.

These conditions could pose public health risks and the occurrence of natural disasters, especially flooding, he warned.

“The El Niño-southern oscillation is in a neutral state, with rapid cooling experienced in the last month, which could result in a weak La Niña.