# Cape Town (S.Africa) regional snow and floods 2008 (PICS!!!)



## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

Africa is BIG! Different climatic zones :lol:... Although the Cape does have more in common with California, the Med, southern Australia & New Zealand than it does most of the rest of Africa.






















































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## Rafael MG (Jul 25, 2007)

Those pics are really stunning!
Congratulations and thanks for sharing those amazing pics of South Africa. 

I like geography and weather very much, so I knew already South Africa gets regular snow in its higher mountains during winter.

But it´s interesting to see how still many people think Africa is hot and dry all year long.

I've never been to South Africa, but I´ve read a lot about it and, when I tell someone South Africa gets colder than southern Brazil, everybody looks surprised. If people paid more attention to maps, they wouldn´t be surprised with cold and snow in South Africa, since it lies in mid latitudes and have high mountains (the same observations apply to Morocco, Australia, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Iraq, Iran and other places that most people in Brazil think are hot and sunny all year long.

By the way, one question? How long lasts south african snow (until september or even later?)


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

It usually comes and goes very rapidly (lasting about 2 weeks at a time). In the Western Cape most of the snow falls on the mountains between end June till end September (winter rainfall region). In the Drakensberg Mountains (KwaZulu-Natal & Lesotho) and Eastern Cape, it sometimes snows midwinter, but usually late autumn or early spring, as there they get more precipitation in the summer months (very dry in midwinter). The Drakensberg Mountains have been known to get snow even in summer. The latest I've ever seen snow on our mountains here near Cape Town was on Dec 1st (but that's rare).


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

*Du Toitskloof Mountains*









*Mountains from the southern Swartland*









It does snow every year... *Ceres from 2006*









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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

*Snow in the Western Cape from Space*

*From the NOAA Weather Satellites* August 2003 snowfalls near Cape Town.








_South African Weather Service_


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## JohanSA (Apr 21, 2008)

Im from Napier in the southern cape ( Overberg ) a few years ago we had the heaviest snow storm Ive ever seen . The snow covered all the mountains around Swellendam , Riviersonderend and Caledon to their base. The night of the storm there was even snow in our town ( 50m above sea level ) but it had been washed away by morning by the heavy rain. Closer to Caledon the wheat and barley fields had snow on it the next day when we went there for a rugby game.

BTW for those who dont know South Africa has a ski resort in the Drakensberg. Tiffendel . When its not snowing enough they use snow machines.


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

COOL!!! Think that was the same year it snowed on the ground in Ceres town itself. It's a pity the Hex River Mountains are so rugged and rocky, as they would be the ideal place for a ski resort in SA weatherwise, as they have the heaviest snow of any range in SA annually; still 2 1/2 weeks after our last snowfall, Matroosberg still has natural snow... pity about all the _Sandstone_! :lol:

*Cape Ski Club on Matroosberg (2250m)* *Note: this is not a ski resort, Tiffendel & Oxbow are in the Drakensberg, this is simply the Cape Ski Club and their casual set-up on Matroosberg.



































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## Wezza (Jan 22, 2004)

Looks like they have to earn their turns!


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

Wezza said:


> Looks like they have to earn their turns!


:lol: Probably! It's a very makeshift ski set up that, you need to go to the Drakensberg up country, to Tifendel and Oxbow to get more of the "effortless" ski thing!


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## Pule (May 18, 2004)

Beutiful pics as always Annman.


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