Temperatures in Joburg have plummeted, resulting in poor visibility on the roads

RELATED LINKS: Yes, that was light snow FLAKES of snow fell over the south-western parts of Joburg on Wednesday, bringing a cold front to the city. Read more Cold weather here to stay THIS week's freezing weather is here to stay, at least until the weekend, says the South African Weather Service. Read more Hypothermia alert FOR many, winter means much more than just keeping the cold away. Hypothermia is a real threat - and the City is making sure residents know what to do to prevent it. Read more

Traffic on many roads was disrupted by bad weather conditions

Cold weather causes traffic chaos Though there were no fatalities, the cold weather and power outages caused more than the usual number of car accidents around the city. August 3, 2006 By Tabisa Mntengwana EIGHTY nine accidents occurred around the city on Tuesday 1 August, mainly due to the icy weather conditions. Most of these were minor. Light power outages also occurred in Randburg, Sandton, Johannesburg CBD and Auckland Park on Wednesday, 2 August. "Eighty nine accidents a day is far above the number of accidents we take care of on normal days," said Metro Police spokesperson Edna Mamonyane. "But we have had no fatal accidents so far, and we are hoping not to for the rest of the season." According to Mamonyane, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) received a complaint this morning from a man who usually takes 20 to 30 minutes to travel from Fourways to Sandton each morning. Thursday's trip took him more than an hour and a half because of traffic congestion. "The power outages had caused traffic congestion because most traffic lights are not working," said Mamonyane. "The past two days were a bit hectic for us (EMS), but today - Thursday -things have started to be normal," said Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley. A forecaster at the South African Weather Services, Puseletso Mofokeng, said, "The cold weather is caused by a cold front that passed over the country which is associated with a very intensive cut-off-low system, causing strong cold winds." According to the South African Weather Services, the cold weather will remain the same until Friday night while Saturday is hoped to warm up with temperatures of 1 to 14. The forecast for today is 9.5 °C. "The rest of the weekend will also be warmer," said Mofokeng. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za