Cape Town – The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) on Saturday alerted drivers in the Western and Eastern Cape to watch out for “significant snowfall”, as a cold front brings freezing weather in its wake.

The SA Weather Service has warned of snowfall over high lying areas of the Western Cape interior, southern parts of the Northern Cape, and parts of the Eastern Cape on Sunday.

“The public and small stock farmers are advised that very cold conditions and snowfalls can be expected,” it said in a statement on Saturday morning.

The cold front would also bring rain to the Cape Metropole and the Overberg, with the possibility of localised urban flooding.

The RTMC said motorists should be wary of travelling over high passes, especially in the Eastern Cape this weekend. 

“Snowfalls are expected over the high lying areas of the [Eastern Cape] with disruptive snowfalls expected over the Sneeuberg and Winterberg,” the corporation said in a statement.

It has warned that Penhoek Pass on the N6, between the towns of Jamestown and Sterkstroom, and the Lootsberg Pass on the N9 north of Graaff Reinet could be affected by heavy snowfalls.

Snow Report SA, a community-based snow tracking website, said that it could start snowing on Western Cape Mountains ranges from Saturday night.

“Many high lying regions, such as Matroosberg, (could) possibly get 30cm of snow or more.”

The Northern Cape towns of Sutherland, Fraserburg and Calvinia could also expect to get some snow this weekend.

“Throughout Sunday and into the early hours of Monday morning we will see snow over large parts of the Eastern Cape including Graaff-Reinet, Hogsback, Dordrecht, Barkly East, Lady Grey, Rhodes and more.”