Weekend of fire and storms: 29 to 31 August 2008

Weekend of fire and storms: 29 to 31 August 2008

Western Cape:Storms, snow, gale-force winds, 7m swells, flooding. Power failures. 7

people injured at Ottery PnP. Damage to aircraft. Traffic disruption

Kwazulu-Natal:

Snow. 7 people died in runaway fire; houses, cars and livestock damaged. Roads closed due to fires. Firefighting pilot died in plane

crash.

Gauteng:

Fires: 5000 hectares burned, 7m high flames

Free state:

Fires: cattle, game and grazing destroyed. Damage to property, farm implements.

Telkom and Eskom poles damaged in fires

30 August 2008 14:00 SAST

300hPa height on 30 August

Predicted Windspeed, Temperature, Rainfall at George

Normalised Difference Snow Index: 30 August 2008

Normalised Difference Snow Index: 1 Sept 2008

30 August 2008 14:00 SAST

R: 1.2 micronG: 0.46 micronB: 2.1 micron

29 August200810:00 SAST

Intense low pressure system, and associated weather caused severe

weather along the coast: the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KZN.

Hot, dry and windy conditions ahead of the cold front led to runaway fires in Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal and Free

State.