South African Weather Service Watching the Weather to Protect Life and Property

Strong winds and other kinds of rough weather can destroy WHOWHO WE WE ARE ARE houses and lives . . .

THE South African Weather Service is the advanced equipment that aids us in the national provider of weather and climate-re- monitoring and prediction of weather pat- lated information. terns and the collection of climatic-related The past 10 years has seen an increase in information. weather-related natural disasters that have Our improved national weather observa- affected the lives of local communities. tion network has resulted in more accurate The deaths, injuries and damage to prop- weather and climate information, that helps erty caused have hampered sustainable de- us to provide bad weather early warning sys- velopment in both urban and rural commu- tems to the Republic of South Africa. nities, and we play an important role in The South African Weather Service is at helping the South African government to the forefront of providing weather and cli- lessen the effects of weather-related natural mate information in South Africa and we are disasters. confident that the years ahead will see even As an organisation, we are committed to more measures being developed to help pro- reducing the impact of these disasters by in- tect the South African public and keep vesting in the latest and most technologically weather related damage to a minimum. CELEBRATE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY

EACH year, on 23 March, the World Meteoro- a specialised agency of the United Nations. resulting distribution of water resources. community to see that that important weather logical Organisation (WMO) – a United Nations The theme for World Meteorological Day South Africa is represented at WMO by the and climate information is available and accessi- organisationwith189members–andtheworld- 2013 is “Watching the Weather to Protect Life CEO of the South African Weather Service ble for global programmes. wide meteorological community, celebrate and Property” and “Celebrating 50 Years of (Saws). As a permanent representative, dr Lin- Nationally, the South African Weather Serv- World Meteorological Day around a chosen World Weather Watch”. da Makuleni serves on the executive council of ice is the authoritative voice for severe weather theme. The WMO is the authority on the state and WMO. warnings–somakesureyouconsulttheauthori- This day commemorates the creating the behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its activity Through WMO and other arrangements, tative source whenever severe weather seems WMO in 1950. In 1951, WMO was made into with the oceans, the climate it produces and its South Africa cooperates with the international to threaten your community. How they keep Products and services

HERE are the public Education and a quality service , products: awareness pro- Weather, climate grammes about forecasting, and warn- the weather and THE South African Weather Service Recognising and responding to cli- ing services. climate. , Gather meteoro- Provide pupils, committed itself to the establishment ent requirements. , , and maintenance of a Quality Manage- Providing resources needed for im- logical and climato- students and ment System that will be its guarantee plementing, and supporting continuous logical data. teachers with ed- Gather atmos- ucational materi- to all its clients by: improvement. , Setting quality objectives that will Reviewing its quality management pheric trace gas data als on the weath- improve, processes that can be used to policy, and its quality policy statement to monitor climate er and climate. create products and services. the South African Weather Service’s change. Herearethecom- Duties for the mercial services: Improving its existing products and management and all staff members are , services., committed to the vision, mission and World Meteorologi- Offerings include Improving its operational efficiency values of the organisation, and will ac- cal Organisation specialised mete- and, effectiveness through careful plan- tively contribute to and support all ini- (WMO) and acting as orological infor- ning and standardisation of all its proc- tiatives aimed at achieving the Weath- the SA government mation to legal, esses. er Services goals and objectives. representative for insurance and these duties. other companies. Provide meteoro- The manufacture See the logicalservicesforthe, and sale of mete- CONTACT Safety of Life at Sea orological equip- (Solas) Convention. ment to the state Provide the public and others with sign . . . DETAILS with, information on support and daily rainfall, and the From left: Member of the Ekurhuleni Mayoral Committee maintenance. maximum and mini- for Community Safety, Mthuthuzeli Siboza, Deputy Other commer- THE South African Weather lines: mum temperatures. Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice cial services are: Weather Service logo Operate the na- Specific and 082 162/ , Mabudafhasi, and South African Weather Service CEO, Dr , represents the movement of weather systems 083 123 0500 tional meteorological Linda Makuleni, talk about the importance of an specialised and how they fit in with the earth, sun and SMS service: telecommunication automatic weather station. Photo by Happy Mnguni weather fore- atmosphere. *120*555# network and compu- casts for clients. It is a fresh and dynamic visual symbol of ter systems. Conduct research aimed at re- Specialised climate information. the South African Weather Service. Website: Collect for and maintain the Na- ducing, the impact of weather-relat- , Aviationmeteorologicalservices. The light blue represents water which is www.weathersa.co.za tional, Meteorological Library and ed natural disasters. , Servicestothemaritimeindustry South Africa’s main source of life. Mobi site: the National Climatological Data- Provide meteorological informa- which, are not included in the Solas The dark blue represents the atmosphere in www.weathersa.co.za/ base. tion, for aviation and maritime Convention. which all weather happens. m/ Provide meteorological and cli- search and rescue activities. Weather and climate-related re- The green symbolises sustainability and life. Follow us on matological, advice to government. Provide meteorological services search., The red-brown represents the earth from Provide meteorological and re- for, the benefit of farmers, fishermen Theproductionandsaleofweath- Twitter: , , which all growth and life originates. @SAWeatherServic lated training to the public. and vulnerable communities. er and climate-based publications. The yellow circle represents the African sun.

VISION Effectively developing and managing talent. a high standard of excellence in the job. IN delivering its statement of purpose, South , Improvingcollaborativepartnershipsandef- Integrity: A consistent sense of honesty, Vision,Vision, African Weather Service set the following vi- fectively, bringing weather products to users. truthfulness, and trust in one’s own actions sion for itself: “To be the foremost provider of Utilising cutting edge technology to convert while valuing others’ opinions and beliefs. relevant services in respect of weather, climate data, into meaningful products and services for Caring: A commitment to create a support- and related products, which contribute to sus- risk mitigation. ive, environment that promotes compassion tainable development in South Africa and the Advancing the science of meteorology, re- and understanding, internally and externally. African continent”. search, and relevant applications. Accountability: A commitment to take re- MISSION Improving financial discipline and resource sponsibility, of what is expected from the occu- missionmission , To achieve this vision, South African Weather use to increase sustainability in order to make pied positions and/or roles – responsible for our Service set itself the following mission state- decision making better and contribute to the own actions. ment: “We, in line with our quality policy state- safeguarding of life and property. Recognition of excellence: A willingness to ment, provide useful and innovative weather, VALUES identify,recogniseandacknowledgeindividuals, climate and related products and services for The South African Weather Service is guided and teams who show outstanding perform- and values all South Africans and the African continent, by and committed to a set of internal values, ance. and values through: set out in the values statement below: Teamwork: A willingness to work together Enhancingobservationaldataandcommuni- Professionalism: Self-control and behaviour to, achieve a goal by making use of and/or appre- cation, networks. that, is best for business practices, and displays ciating everyindividual strengthsand abilities.” 2 DAILY SUN Thursday 14 March 2013 Severe weather: Be aware, take care! Lightning

WHEN thunder roars, go indoors! canpowera100wattlightbulbfor90days. Lightning occurs with every thunder- Lightning precautions: storm and must be expected as soon as If you are outdoors when you see or thunderstorms form. hear, a thunderstorm coming get inside What is lightning? safe shelter immediately! Lightning is a flow of energy through the Ifyourhairstandsonend,leavethearea air. Positive and negatively charged parti- as, fast as possible, as lightning will almost cles gather together on the bottom and certainly hit that very spot quickly. the top of a cloud. When the forces of at- When you see the lightning FLASH traction between them become too count, the seconds to where you hear the strong, energy is released as a lightning BANG. At 30 seconds or less – immediate- bolt. This energy is seen as a great flash ly seek safe shelter. If you count 15 sec- of light across the sky. onds or less, get away because lightning The eastern parts of the country – espe- could strike right where you are now! cially Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal – Unsafe areas during an electric storm have the highest rates of lightning-related are:, deaths in South Africa. So take special Tall structures such as trees, telephone care when in these areas. and) power lines. Lightning facts: Hilltops. There are three types of lightning: ) Isolated sheds. , cloud to ground. ) Open water. ) ground to cloud. ) Unprotected garden structures or pic- ) cloud to cloud. nic) shelters. ) Lightning strikes the earth around 100 Avoid being near or touching: times, every second. , Metal objects such as fences, golf carts, Most strikes happen at the beginning bicycles,) and motorcycles, telephone or and, at the end of a storm. power lines, pylons and windmills. About one in 20 of the people that get If indoors, during a storm stay well clear struck, by lightning die. of, windows. Do not: “Lightning never strikes twice” is a Hold a metal object, se a electrical ap- myth, – lightning can strike the same place pliance,) se the telephoneu or take a bath many times. or shower.u About 85% of strike victims are chil- If you are travelling, stay in the vehicle. dren, and young men between 18 and 35 , Do not swim during a thunderstorm. years of age who were caught in the storm , Do not play sport during thunder- while playing or working outside. storms., Golfers and fishermen are at high The energy in a single lightning strike risk because of golf clubs and fishing poles. , Tornadoes

A TORNADO develops from thunderstorms ThunderThunder – particularly those that cause hail. There are many ideas why tornados form but many agree that it has to do with vertical ro- storms!storms! tation move- ments that al- ready exist in the cloud which are intensified. A tornado, THUNDERSTORMS are local atmospheric distur- Listen for weather warnings on radio, TV, inter- develops within bances. net, and social media. a cloud and They are produced by cumulonimbus clouds If possible stay indoors but well clear of windows. moves as a visi- (those giant cauliflower-shaped clouds) that bring , Shelter pets and cover vehicles. bly twisting fun- spectacular lightning, thunder, heavy rain and very , Disconnect all electrical appliances. nel-like shape strong winds. , Do not take a showers or bath or use the tele- from the cloud These storms develop from convective clouds in phone., to the earth. It the atmosphere when the rising air is warmer and If driving, STOP and park well off the road clear can assume different forms and at less dense than the surrounding air and keeps rising. of, trees, power lines and streams. age, particularly to buildings with times looks like a thin and narrow fun- The rising air also cools down and as long as the Any thunderstorm can produce lightning, flash closed windows and doors. When a tor- nel, or like a cylinder and at times even atmosphere remains unstable, this air package stays flooding, very strong winds, hail and, in severe cases, nado moves across such a building, the like a piece of rope hanging from the warmer than the surrounding air and keeps rising. tornadoes. pressure inside the building is much base of the cloud to the earth. WHAT TO DO IN A THUNDERSTORM Lightning happens with every thunderstorm and higher than the pressure on the out- The visible funnel is mainly of drops If you are outdoors do NOT hide under trees! must be expected as soon as thunderstorms form. side. This makes the high pressure in- , of water that form in the funnel be- side the building blow out the windows cause of cloud-like condensation. and doors. Closer to the ground where dust, In some cases the pressure differ- leaves and other debris is blown up, ence pushes off the whole roof or the there is normally a strong whirlwind. push the walls outwards. Thediameterofthefunnelisonaver- An interesting aspect of tornados is Hail CONTACT age less than a few hundred metres, the loud distinctive noise that they but some tornados are bigger with a make. People who have heard it have diameter of more than one kilometre. described it as the sound of “a thou- The movement of air in a tornado sand trains”, “the buzz of millions of Hail is a very destructive form DETAILS is usually cyclonic so in the southern bees” or “the rumble of jet planes”. of precipitation which develops hemisphere, the winds blow in a clock- in convection clouds. Tornado precautions: wise direction. Normally the tip of the In the event of seeing a tornado, Super-cell thunderstorms of- funnel touches the surface of the earth , ten produce hail . . . Weather lines: move to the centre of your house and for only a few seconds but there have get under a strong piece of furniture, Precautions: 082 162/ been cases where it has stayed on the Listen for weather warnings 083 123 0500 such as a heavy table. , surface for longer than an hour. Get out of vehicles, caravans and on radio, TV, the internet and SMS service: Themaximumwind speed in atorna- , on social media. mobile homes, as they can be moved, *120*555# do is usually between around 120km/h overturned and even destroyed by the Take your livestock to a Website: and 360km/h but have been measured safe, shelter that is covered. strong winds and flying debris. www.weathersa.co.za at 432 km/h! The pressure in the funnel Stay away from windows, as flying Cover vehicles with a blan- Mobi site: is much lower than the surrounding at- , ket, or seek shelter under a glass and debris cause the most deaths. www.weathersa.co.za/ mospheric pressure. Do not attempt to outrun a tornado roof or bridge where possible. Property damage is usually caused , If outdoors, do NOT look m/ in your vehicle. Leave it immediately , when the winds blow stronger than and seek shelter. for shelter under trees! Follow us on 144km/h. Pressure differences be- If driving, STOP and park Twitter: If caught outside in the open, lie flat , tween the inside and outside of the tor- in, a ditch or depression but beware of well of the road clear of trees, @SAWeatherServic nado is also partly responsible for dam- power lines and streams. flooding if there is heavy rain. Thursday 14 March 2013 DAILY SUN 3 Severe weather: Be aware, take care! TropicalTropical cyclones cyclones

BESIDES the tornado, there is another devastating the cyclone. weather phenomenon that occurs in the atmosphere The spiral-cloud bands consist mainly of cumulus , andisknownbydifferentnamesindifferentcountries. and cumulonimbus clouds that can reach up to a Cyclone Funso It is the tropical storm – known in America as a height of 12km and can cover a horizontal distance over the north hurricane and in Asia as a typhoon – but in Southern of up to 700km! coast of Africa, this kind of super storm is known as a tropical The average lifespan of a tropical cyclone is around cyclone. nine, days but in extreme cases it can last for three Mozambique. How cyclones form: to four weeks. The tropical cyclones that affect South Africa’s The centre of the cyclone, known as the eye, is weather, usually start in the late summer, over the about, 30km to 50km wide. The eye is an area there Indian Ocean that is close to the equator. At first are no clouds and where the winds are very calm. thecyclonemovesslowlyinasouthwesterlydirection, While the eye is calm, the area around the eye is away from the equator, but later turns and moves certainly, not. Here storm winds blow at speeds of faster in a southeasterly direction under the influence between120km/h and 200km/h. of stronger westerly winds. A tropical cyclone is also known for its high rainfall The warm tropical sea water causes the moist air that can result in floods. The storm winds also give above it to have a temperature of at least 27˚C. The rise to high waves and swells of up to 12m that can unstable conditions in the atmosphere cause the cause severe damage to coastal towns. warm moist air to rise vertically and this leads to the As soon as a tropical cyclone moves in over land, development of a low-pressure, large-scale conden- it is cut off from its source of energy and the greater sation and cloud formation above the area. friction that the air movement experiences results An enormous amount of heat energy – known as in the intensity of the cyclone decreasing until after latent heat – is released during the condensation a while it fades away completely. process and serves mainly as the energy source for Every year a list of names in alphabetical order is such a tropical cyclone. drawn up from which cyclones are named as they ap- Characteristics of a tropical cyclone: pear. At first only women’s names were used but In the southern hemisphere, the air of a cyclone these days men’s names are also used. circulates, or goes around in a clockwise direction and A tropical cyclone that caused havoc – in especially the clouds develop in typical spiral bands that move KwaZulu-Natal – was cyclone Domoina which caused in theCold same clockwise direction with and the wind into widespread snow damage in January 1984.

SNOW, freezing rain and cold temperatures are hazards to those going outdoors. During such conditions: Listen for weather warnings on radio, TV, the internet and on social media. , Dress warmly. , If it is extremely cold, cover your mouth to protect your lungs from the cold air. , Flooding Don’t drink alcohol, caffeinated drinks or smoke when out in the extreme cold. All of these activities, encourage hypothermia and frostbite. Put small livestock in a shed to protect them from the cold. ,

FLOODING happens when water overflows its nor- Listen for weather warnings on radio, TV, the in- mal channels, such as streams and storm water ternet, and social media. drains, because of long periods of rain or in the form Do not cross rivers and swollen streams. of flash floods, which are usually associated with se- , Move to higher ground. vere thunderstorms. , If your car gets stuck in a flood, get out and climb Just 15cm of fast-moving flood water can knock to, higher ground. you off your feet, and a depth of 60cm will float your Move valuables to a safe place in buildings which car away! should, be above the expected flood level. Never try to walk, swim or drive through such Switch off electricity at the supply point. swift water. Stop! Turn around and go another way. , Move your animals to a safe place. How can you prevent being washed away by , If evacuation is recommended, abandon your floods? home, immediately before your way out is cut off by Watch out! flood water. In the event of a flood, follow these guidelines to Never drive into water covering the road. You stay safe: don’t, know how deep the water is or if the road has If possible, stay indoors and off the roads. been washed away . . . , CONTACT DETAILS

Weather lines: 082 162/ 083 123 0500 SMS service: *120*555# Website: www.weathersa.co.za Mobi site: www.weathersa.co.za/ Dense fog m/ Follow us on Twitter: @SAWeatherServic FOG might not seem threatening but can When driving in fog, slow down and turn be very dangerous, because it reduces visi- on, your headlights but NOT your brights. bility enough to cause serious accidents. Make sure that you can be seen. Severely strong wind When you go walking outdoors in foggy , Don’t stop in the middle of a road. conditions remember to stay off any roads , Use the left edge of the road as a guide where possible. Never stop in the middle rather, than the centre line, to avoid run- ofaroad,becarefulwhencrossingintersec- ning into oncoming traffic or becoming dis- GALE force winds often happen along our coast as ternet and on social media. well as during thunderstorm activity. If travelling in a vehicle, be prepared for sudden tions. Listen to the radio or TV for warn- tracted by their headlights. , ings, and make sure you can be seen, by Always use your defroster and wind- These winds are sudden and can cause lots of dam- cross winds especially between buildings! , age – especially if they are caused by a tornado. Be aware of the possibility of falling trees, downed wearing bright clothes or reflectors. screen wipers in foggy conditions to keep , Fog can be most simply described as low- the windows clear. Exotic trees are easily uprooted by strong winds power lines and flying debris. lying clouds and comes in many forms, and Keep an eye on your speedometer and especially after long periods of rain. This is just one Windy words! it usually forms when warm air or surfaces maintain, a slow, constant speed. of the many reasons why you should plant indigenous Really strong winds have various names, including meet cold air or surfaces. Rememberthatotherdrivershavealim- or trees that are native to your region. hurricane, tornado, microburst, zephyr, sirocco, Precautions: ited, sight distance and that fog can leave In cases of severe and strong winds, you should al- sharav, mistral or monsoon. Stay off roads if possible. road surfaces slippery. ways take the following precautions: Did you know? , If possible, stay indoors and stay away from win- Wind helps plants and trees grow, because it moves Listen out for weather warnings on ra- Signal early and when you use your , dio,, TV, the internet and social media. brakes,, don’t stomp on them. dows that face towards the wind. and spreads their seeds around. This affect of wind Listen for weather warnings on radio, TV, the in- is known as seed dispersal. , 4 DAILY SUN Thursday 14 March 2013 FightingFightingSevere weather: Be aware, the thetake fires firescare!

WHAT to do when conditions are just right for the spread of runaway fires. Whenever there are long periods of little or no rain, coupled with warm dry winds, veld fires can be started easily and will spread rapidly. Veld fires happen more often in winter over our interior and are fuelled by winds. When the South African Weather Service issues a warning it becomes illegal to make outdoor fires. What’s the worry? Veld fires can be part of a positive natural process that helps “refresh” the environment by clearing out dead plants and providing a chance for new growth. CONTACT But, when blazes get out of control they can end up destroying forests, grassland and proper- ties, as well as killing animals and people. DETAILS That is why they need to be controlled. What causes veld fires? There are many factors that start veld fires. Some Weather lines: are natural but most are started by humans. This 082 162/ can happen through careless actions, like throw- 083 123 0500 ing burning cigarette butts into dry veld grass, SMS service: lighting fires that cannot be controlled, land clear- *120*555# ing, hunting, playing with matches, the wrong dis- Website: posal of household ash and the deliberate lighting of fires. www.weathersa.co.za What to do: Mobi site: Listen to the radio or TV for warnings. www.weathersa.co.za/ , Don’t make fires in the open. m/ , Make sure no one throws cigarette butts out Follow us on of, cars or into open veld. Twitter: Don’t throw bottles into the veld as they work @SAWeatherServic like, lenses that focus sunlight and start fires. Report any fires immediately. Intense heat Drought,

A HEAT wave hap- pens when the maxi- mum temperature is five degrees more than the recorded maximum for the hottest month for three days in a row. Stay indoors in a cool, room or in the shade. Don’t do any hard outdoor, physical ac- tivities. Avoid playing sport., Dress in light weight, clothes. Drink plenty of liq- uids, but NOT alcohol – alcohol dehydrates the body even more. Discomfort index: SOUTH Africa often experiences serious When temperatures droughts all over the country. and humidity are high A drought happens a when a region gets little at the same time, our or no rain for months or years. ability to cool our Droughts can cause: bodies through Stock and crop losses. sweating is impaired , Loss of income and unemployment. which can become a , Soil erosion. real health threat. , Famine. Remember, the , Malnutrition. temperature in a car , Disease. can be 10 times high- Precautions:, er than outside and Do not over crop or over graze agricultural we are not the only land., ones that suffer in Make sure there are enough reservoirs to the heat. hold, emergency water supplies. Make sure you nev- Take notice of drought predictions and re- er leave your pets in duce, water-intensive practices and activities. motorcars especially Never waste water. duringYour hot days. weather, offices!

SOUTH Africa’s main weather offices: King Shaka International Airport fice. You can contact them on National Forecasting Centre in Preto- Weather, Office. Contact them on 082 233 9900. ria., You can contact them on 082 233 9500/8700. Nelspruit Weather Office at Kruger 0822339800. OR Tambo International – Aviation Mpumalanga, International Airport. You Bloemfontein Weather Office at Bram Weather, Centre. You can contact them can contact them on 082 233 8401. Fisher, International Airport. You can on 082 233 9600/8800. Port Elizabeth Weather Office. You contact them on 082 233 9100. Cape Town International Weather Of- can, contact them on 082 233 9700. ,