Durban — Coastal winds peaked at 19 knots on Wednesday while more showers and thundershowers are expected in KwaZulu-Natal over the next two days.
South African Weather Service forecaster Nhlanhla Sithole said there is a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers over the central and western interior, otherwise it is a 30% chance.
“It is 30% along the coast and adjacent interior, as well as the north-eastern parts. Other than that, 60%,” Sithole said about Thursday’s weather in KZN.
“On Friday, it’s 30% over the central interior as well as the western parts.”
Sithole said they did not have any warnings issued except Wednesday (today), for coastal winds.
Regarding the coastal winds, Sithole said: “They’ve peaked up to 19 knots this morning and now we’re sitting at 16 knots.”
He said that in Richards Bay, it was pretty much the same.
“But it is nothing out of the ordinary. It is just strong winds,” Sithole said.
Meanwhile, SA Canegrowers said this year’s sugar cane harvest is expected to be 10% lower than average, largely due to unusually dry conditions in the majority of KZN’s growing areas.
It said that from 2020, SA’s cane growers produce an average of 18 million tons of sugar cane per season. According to SA Canegrowers projections, this season will yield a crop of under 17 million tons.
SA Canegrowers said the most affected areas are the North Coast, South Coast, and Midlands, but the drier-than-usual season affected most growers across KZN.
Additionally, although Mpumalanga also experienced a drier than normal season, growers in this region irrigate to supplement rainfall. The reduction in load shedding, allowing for uninterrupted and consistent irrigation somewhat offset the poor 2024 growing conditions for Mpumalanga.
SA Canegrowers chairperson Higgins Mdluli said: “The 2024 season’s reduced yield underscores the increasing vulnerability of our industry to climate pressures, particularly for our rain-fed growers. While we are fortunate to still meet local demand, the reduced export potential impacts our growers’ income and the broader economy.”
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