Heatwave to continue until Tuesday

 

The heatwave gripping most of the northern provinces is set to continue until Tuesday‚ according to the South African Weather Service.

The Free State‚ North West‚ Mpumalanga‚ Northern Cape and Gauteng are affected‚ with temperatures expected to rise above 35 degrees while in Limpopo it could top 40.

The heatwave should break on Tuesday with severe thunderstorms then expected over the north-western parts of KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Mpumalanga on Monday.

There is also a heightened chance of fires‚ and residents are urged to be cautious and also stay indoors as much as possible and to stay hydrated.

Further afield‚ the difference between the hottest and coldest places on earth was more than 100 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

In the United States wind chill around Mount Washington in New Hampshire has a “real feel” of minus 69 degrees Celsius.

With windspeeds of up to 144km/h the spot tied for second place as the coldest spot in the world on Saturday on the back of snow brought by winter storm Grayson.

Meanwhile Down Under‚ a temperature of 47.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in Penrith‚ ABC reported‚ making it the hottest temperature recorded in Sydney since 1939 and on the day‚ the hottest city in the world.

The Automobile Association (AA) has warned motorists not to leave children or pets in vehicles‚ even for short periods of time.

“Temperatures in cars can climb very rapidly‚ and even if a window is cracked slightly open‚ the inside temperature will exceed outside temperatures by several degrees. Children and pets who are left in cars are vulnerable and can become dehydrated quickly‚” AA said in a statement on Monday.

The association says people must consider either leaving children or pets at home‚ or dropping them off before running other errands. It says the consequences of leaving children and pets in hot‚ badly ventilated cars is extremely dangerous and must be avoided.

by Kyle Cowan – TimesLIVE

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