Rain and storm for Cpt

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Wow, just had a massive amount of water come down over the last half an hour.
 
Definitely more rain than I expected, 24mm in our gauge in Kenilworth this morning (Mon 28th). That's close to 100mm in our garden since Fri 25th!

Also good falls on SAEON Constantiaberg and Dwarsberg (Jonkershoek) with 30mm and 50mm (up to midnight). Still lingering showers today, particularly in the Overberg and parts of the Garden Route.

Light snow is likely over many of the highest peaks in the SW and S-Cape mountain ranges this morning (Mon 28th).

Edit: The SAWS reports a few impressive totals for the 24 hours to 8am on Mon 28th: http://www.weathersa.co.za/images/data/climate/nr_daily_rai.pdf

Highest include: Ceres 84mm, Villiersdorp 52mm, Franschhoek 35mm, Hermanus 32mm, etc. Also of note were places in the N-Cape such as Nieuwoudtville 11mm, etc.

Cumulative 48 hour totals for a few places include: Villiersdorp 119mm, Ceres 110mm, Hermanus 87mm, etc.

Edit: The Berg River Dam is still overflowing. The CoCT report indicates that the average dam levels increased by 3.3% to 82.9% last week: http://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City research reports and review/damlevels.pdf
 
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Craig said:
I love rain but it's a bit scary when it comes down in that kind of quantities.
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I went to sleep at around 9PM it was cats and dogs and same when I woke up. You start thinking in terms of roads being washed away and towns under water :X3:
 
Rocco1 said:
Dam levels at 84%, up more than 1.1% from monday. Catchments falls must have been good.
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Thanks for the reminder. Since the Berg River Dam (third biggest) is overflowing (it actually counted as a reduction of 1%), it is worth looking at a breakdown of the other numbers. The biggest Theewaterskloof is up 1.1% (same as the average) to 74.9%, the second biggest Voelvlei is up 2.3% to 89.3% (catchment is the Little Berg River from Tulbagh).

Runoff should continue for a few more days, but at a considerably reduced rate. Further significant rain is very unlikely through the hieight of summer.

Daily readings: http://www.capetown.gov.za/Family and home/residential-utility-services/residential-water-and-sanitation-services/this-weeks-dam-levels
 
Rocco1 said:
Dam levels at 84%, up more than 1.1% from monday. Catchments falls must have been good.
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remember that figure is the major dams levels, i think in total the Western Cape dam levels is waaaaaay lower, cant remember what website to see that on, maybe @Gordon_R can share a link ?
 
Chuckmyster said:
remember that figure is the major dams levels, i think in total the Western Cape dam levels is waaaaaay lower, cant remember what website to see that on, maybe @Gordon_R can share a link ?
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The provincial dam figures cover a huge area, so the numbers may not be meaningful. Average for the entire Western Cape is currently 66%: http://www.dwa.gov.za/Hydrology/Weekly/ProvinceWeek.aspx?region=WC

The biggest dam outside the Cape Metropole is Brandvlei (Worcester) at 52%. Clanwilliam Dam is at 90%.

Some dams for smaller towns are much smaller, and nearly empty. Calitzdorp 12%, Stompdrift (Oudtshoorn) 7.0%, Kammanassie 1.9%, Gamkapoort 0.8%, Leeu Gamka 0.1%!?
 
^ thanx @Gordon_R , that's the link i was looking for
We are only 0.8% higher than a year ago

We still need to save water everyday
 
Chuckmyster said:
^ thanx @Gordon_R , that's the link i was looking for
We are only 0.8% higher than a year ago

We still need to save water everyday
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The Brandvlei Dam (Worcester) is actually 6% lower than last year, while Theewaterskloof is significantly higher (16%). The total average is not very meaningful (as I said earlier), and the situation outside of Cape Town has definitely not improved.

Unfortunately there is no way to transfer water from the Cape Metropole to those outlying areas (except by road tanker). We do need to be careful with water consumption, but that will not help those drought stricken areas.
 
Chuckmyster said:
remember that figure is the major dams levels, i think in total the Western Cape dam levels is waaaaaay lower, cant remember what website to see that on, maybe @Gordon_R can share a link ?
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but like the newspapers, everyone is only interested in CT, not the rest of the country or the rural hinderland. but true WC dam figures are lower. But different catachments, different rainfall seasons (summer areas in the northern and eastern WC).
This is the Cape Town thread, but there is a massive drought unfolding in the central karoo and parts of the eastern cape (1 in 100 year drought or something)
Summer rainfall could be late, or low again... (need a month of SE winds in CT to bring the indian ocean moisture and the Summer rains)


---EDIT ---

Links to see WC dams levels individually

Western Cape Dam Levels | Agriculture

Water reserves in the rest of the country can be viewed here. Water reserves can also be viewed here.
www.elsenburg.com www.elsenburg.com

and see water restrictions per WC municipality

Latest Western Cape dam levels

Find out about the current dam levels and the different levels of water restrictions in the province.
www.westerncape.gov.za www.westerncape.gov.za

DWA summary (tots % for WC at bot)
 
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