The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a Yellow Level 1 warning for damaging winds in parts of the Western Cape.
The areas expected to be affected include Bitou Municipality, Cape Agulhas, the City of Cape Town, George, Hessequa Municipality, Mossel Bay, and the Overstrand Municipality.
The weather service said the winds would lead to difficulty in navigation at sea between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas on Monday, spreading to Plettenberg Bay by the evening and persisting into Tuesday morning.
“Strong to gale-force south easterly winds of 50 to 70km/h are expected between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas on Monday, spreading along the south coast to Plettenberg Bay by the evening. Wave heights are also expected to be between 3.5 and 4.5 metres which in combination with the winds will result in rough and choppy seas,” it said.
This will also result in difficulty in navigation at sea for small vessels and personal watercraft e.g. kayaks which may lead to vessels taking on water and at a risk of capsizing in locality.
Localised disruption of small harbours could also occur as well as disruptions to beachfront activities, the weather service warned.
Small vessels are advised to seek shelter in harbours, bays or inlets. It is advised for the public to monitor weather updates and sea conditions closely.
Windy conditions for KwaZulu-Natal have also been forecasted, however, no warning has been released by the weather service at this time.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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