Dr Adriaan Van Der Walt, University of Free State
Clara Hickman, African Mountain Research Foundation
Several weeks ago, on 7th June, South Africa was gripped by a bitter cold snap that sent temperatures plummeting across the country, with the Maloti-Drakensberg region experiencing some of the most severe conditions. While that event has since passed, its relevance remains evident — while another cold front is currently sweeping into the Western Cape, reminding us once again of the sharp bite winter can bring.
Four high-altitude weather stations in the area captured revealing data from the event. The cold was not just a matter of low air temperature—the true danger came from the wind chill, which dramatically amplified the severity of the conditions.
Royal Natal National Park (1393 m.asl) experienced an average maximum wind speed (based on a 5-day running average) of about 49 km/h, with minimum air temperatures averaging 5.96 °C. Even here, wind chill dropped to around 3.5 °C.
Witsieshoek (2240 m.asl) recorded the strongest average wind speeds, reaching about 84 km/h. Coupled with average minimum temperatures of 2.26 °C, the wind chill fell sharply to -5.22 °C, enough to pose real risk to exposed skin and livestock.
Sentinal Car Park (2573 m asl) stood out as the most extreme site. Over the 5-day period, its average maximum wind speed was around 81 km/h, with average minimum air temperatures near 0.7 °C and a wind chill of -7.12 °C. During the cold snap, the highest wind speeds was also recorded here, reaching 47.2 m/s—nearly 170 km/h—demonstrating just how harsh and dangerous Drakensberg weather can be.
Qwaqwa Campus (1693 m.asl) experienced average maximum winds of around 49 km/h, with minimum temperatures averaging 4.34 °C and wind chill dropping to 0.9 °C.
Why Wind Chill Matters
Wind chill describes how cold it feels on exposed skin when the wind is factored in. While wind doesn’t actually lower the air temperature itself, it dramatically increases the rate at which the body loses heat. For example, when the air is just above freezing but the wind is howling at 80 km/h, it can feel more like -5 °C or colder. This matters because the risk of cold-related injuries like hypothermia and frostbite rises steeply as wind chill drops.
Living in the Cold: Impacts on Communities and Ecosystems
Such cold snaps aren’t just inconvenient—they’re genuinely hazardous. In high-altitude areas like the Maloti-Drakensberg, residents, farmers, and outdoor enthusiasts can be caught unprepared by rapid temperature drops and intensifying wind. Livestock exposed without shelter face hypothermia, pipes may freeze, and mountain roads can become treacherous with ice or frost.
Wildlife and plants also feel the impact: frost-sensitive species may be damaged, and grazing animals may struggle to find food when vegetation is frozen or wind-burned. Such events underscore how vulnerable these mountain ecosystems are to sudden climatic extremes.
This recent cold snap, and the cold front now sweeping over the Western Cape, are reminders of why robust weather monitoring is essential. Though much of the country felt the cold, it’s in places like the Drakensberg—where weather can shift from crisp sunshine to icy gales within hours—that reliable weather data can save lives.
