The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has recently indicated that the extreme heat and humidity is here to stay a little longer.
After the extreme heat and humidity experienced in the Western Cape this summer, SAWS said people should be prepared for hotter days as February approached, the hottest month on average for South Africa.
There is a possibility that the Western Cape can experience hotter days, even though the seasonal outlook is indicating normal to below-normal maximum temperatures for most of the country. “South Africa is warming up, but there can be cooler years in the future,” stated the weather office.
UCT Climate System Analysis Group (CSAG) deputy director Christopher Jack said these conditions would continue for the next several decades and even longer if global efforts to reduce emissions failed, proving that these conditions were indeed a symptom of climate change. The CSAG deputy director said insight into the recent humidity was more complex and required further analysis of the system that produced the heat wave.
Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said the recent floods in some provinces and the heatwave in the Western Cape was proof that climate change was not some distant phenomenon. But was happening right now.
How to beat the heat: Stay hydrated at all times, avoid too much physical activity, keep cool, check up on those that are suffering the most, protect your skin by using sunscreen, do not leave children and pets in an unattended vehicle, and wear garments that are light.
