2006-10-06Staff Report 2 "By Francis Mukuzunga WINDHOEK Namibians who might be complaining about the return of cold weather at a time when they least expected it must brace for the worst by next week Monday, as the chilly nights and mornings are expected to continue a little while longer. The Department of Meteorological Services yesterday warned people, especially those in the upper inland and outlying areas of the country that are susceptible to changing weather patterns, to take note of the approaching cold weather. Areas such as Windhoek are likely to have patchy rains while the southern-most areas even ground frost. ""Although temperatures are recovering, we might experience a sudden drop come Sunday, particularly within the southern parts of the country such as Mariental as the approaching cold front associated with a high level trough moves in,"" said Simon Dirkse of Met Services. The system, he said, is expected to cause temperatures to fall to a minimum of 8 degrees Celsius at night. Daytime temperatures could be as low as 16 degrees Celsius. He said the weather patterns here were largely affected by what is going on in South Africa's Western Cape Province where warning bells have already sounded. ""Heavy falls of rain are possible in the Overberg, Breede River valley, Ruens, Garden Route and the Little Karoo,"" said Weather SA in a report carried by Mail & Guardian this week. Weather SA also warned that very cold, wet and windy conditions were expected to prevail on the high-ground areas of the Western Cape and the western parts of the eastern Cape. Dirkse however advised the public not to panic as the sudden drop in temperatures may only last up to Tuesday or Wednesday, when only windy conditions are expected. Since Saturday last week, parts of Namibia experienced an unusually cold spell. The unusual drop in temperatures and rainy weather were also felt in parts of the neighbouring countries of Zambia, Angola and Zimbabwe." 2006-10-06Staff Report 2
