The heavy rains flooded houses and dams and led to agricultural losses. Mpumalanga in the northeast, where the famous Kruger National Park is located, and the Eastern Cape were particularly affected by the heavy rains.
Due to a slow-moving low-pressure system over the country's interior, heavy rainfall events occurred in Southeast Africa at the end of last week.
Our satellite and radar map shows the heavy rainfall on 2023-02-11.
Even though this low-pressure system has weakened considerably, a new low is moving into southeast Africa. Therefore, further rainfall, partly heavy, is expected for the coming weekend. The low-pressure system is a so-called east wind wave, a tropical phenomenon associated with the intertropical convergence zone, which leads to rainfall in the northeastern regions of South Africa.
We have analysed different data sources, and according to our historical satellite data, a total precipitation amount of around 28 mm was observed during 4 days, as shown in the first screenshot. Comparing the rainfall of these days with the typical climate (second screenshot) in South Africa, respectively, in the Kruger National Park, the intensity of the precipitation becomes clear. Our climate diagrams are based on 30 years of historical weather simulation data. Consequently, it rained almost as much in 4 days as it usually does during February.
We have also analysed precipitation data from other data sources, and precipitation amounts during that time vary significantly. These deviations mainly occur in extreme weather situations, leading to underestimations in the calculations. This becomes clear when looking at the forecast data for the coming days in our MultiModel, which shows the forecasts of our various weather models for the next few days. Here, the precipitation calculations also deviate between the weather models. This results in lower forecast accuracy, which we transparently show through our forecast predictability.
You can follow the current weather situation in South Africa with our 7-day forecast.
We also recommend that you check our weather radar. You can find detailed information about daily rainfall or hourly rainfall in our precipitation section in the weather maps.
We are sure that our tools will help you to monitor the current weather situation in South Africa.
