Biggest storm in 30y to quench worst drought in 100y

[Jay Freedman]

Wow. The predictions of 10 m storm surge weren't exaggerating!

[Rudi]

Has the storm abated any? How much rainfall have you had? Has it been widely distributed enough to help all suffering from the drought?

Hi Bob,

The storm has abated at the time of me typing this. Rain is still falling but the wind (although blowing) is mild now compared to the last 24h. According to a local tabloid on Wednesday, it reads the following re. rainfall...

Langgewens in the Swartland region of the Western Cape gets 395mm of rain a year‚ but it got 8% of that in one night on Tuesday. The 33mm of rain that fell on the Western Cape government’s research farm between Malmesbury and Moorreesburg made it the location in the Western Cape with the highest rainfall at 8am on Wednesday‚ the South African Weather Service said. Jonkershoek‚ in Stellenbosch‚ was hard on its heels with 32mm‚ followed by Strand with 31mm.

These measurements were taken on Tue. night, and a lot of rain fell on Wed. too, so I expect the mm to be at least double (which nears the predictions of about 80mm). Though it is enormously welcome, we still need a lot of water to fall to alleviate the drought and fill the reservoirs. I trust the rest of this winter will have more rain to offer.

I see the storm news reached international audiences. Here is another report: International Weather

There have been a few deaths and lots of structural damage in and around the region. Apparently even fires (sparked by lightning) have been raging in areas, fanned by the high winds. The Western Cape literally can to a halt on Wed. as schools, public transport and businesses closed. Even malls closed and one shopping centers retail store lost its roof.

Hi Jay. The swell was big. Here are some more snap shots of the "fun" at the Sea Point Promenade. (Seems some people enjoyed the feel of water again and made the most of some photo opportunities!)

[steveh]

Hi Rudi

whilst all of the 'fun shots' were good (to me anyway!!) I particularly liked the 3rd one there seemed to be something abstract and surreal about it. As for the irresponsible person letting horses loose in shot 9!!

[ChrisGreaves]

    
An amateur (candid) video of the storm surge today at Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town.

Well.
I hope we all learned something from this video.

Me, I learned that I'\ll not be visiting Cape Town anytime soon.

"Cape Town: the world's biggest outdoor carwash ..."

[Rudi]

That is one way to describe it! I think that with the drought an' all, more people are washing their clothes in the sea and all that detergent in the water created that excess foam.

[viking33]

THE MALLS WERE CLOSED?
Were any cell towers blown down?
That would have been the last straw before you had people jumping off cliffs!

Seriously, it looks like the worst is over and glad that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Have a good one, Rudi.

[Rudi]

I haven't heard any reports of cell towers going down, Bob. I was very expectant that our WiFi tower was going to be affected, but during the last summer we were switched to a new tower with better line of sight and this one survived the wind gusts...which impressed me quite a lot! The worst is certainly over and as I type this there is hardly a breeze at only 3 km/h. Quite tranquil really!

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[BobH]

Thanks for the update, Rudi!

Very glad to hear that all is well with you and yours and that the blow is over.

[HansV]

9°C is quite cold though...

[Rudi]

Thanks Bob.
Usually any temperatures in single digits is a good sign that snow is on the mountain peaks of the Drakenstein; the closest mountain range outside of Cape Town. The picture in the Wiki is a good example of what it might look like.

[ChrisGreaves]

Me, I learned that I'\ll not be visiting Cape Town anytime soon.

And why should I when Rudy's Diner is just a short hop across the border.

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[Rudi]

...and you can bet your bottom dollar that the ice cream I serve there have the flavour: Sea salt caramel!

[ChrisGreaves]

...and you can bet your bottom dollar that the ice cream I serve there have the flavour: Sea salt caramel!

yes.
I quite liked the healthy menu.
I chose a salad.
The Pittsburgh salad ...

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[HansV]

They call that a salad?

[ChrisGreaves]

They call that a salad?

Look, Hans: When in Medina, gorge as the Medinians do, right?
These folks seem to know what they're doing, with a layout 204' by 14'.
Trust me, when you've walked around that a few times waiting for a real-time derailment, you need a Pittsburgh Salad just to keep you going.

As an aside, the museum/display allows you to wander off to find lunch and then come back to take in some more, in a manner of speaking. I find the entire town very civilized.

And anyway, I am very fond of The Pittsburgh 'T' Pittsburgh is a smart town. and pretty, too.
Cheers
Chris