South African Weather Service predicts a warmer summer

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Weather Service says the country is in for a warmer summer with higher temperatures than predicted.

The weather service held a media briefing on Tuesday, following snowy conditions in parts of the country over the last two weeks.

Lead scientist for long-range prediction Christien Engelbrecht said the warmer temperatures would persist for the remainder of spring.

"It is the average temperatures for that season that is predicted to be above normal. So, overall the December, January, and February season is expected to be warmer than normal – particularly over the western interior."

She said the rain patterns for spring and summer remained uncertain.

"The probabilities for above-normal rainfall which one usually expects or typically occurs during a La Lignia event is low and it’s a bit patchy. If you have a map of Southern Africa – there are some areas over the eastern parts and some areas over the western parts of the country where very low probabilities of above-normal rainfall is indicated during spring and especially during the mid-summer."