Disaster management and response teams across the Western Cape have been placed on high alert as an intense cut-off low pressure system is expected to bring heavy rainfall, flooding and strong winds to the Garden Route, Central Karoo and Overberg regions from Tuesday evening.

The Provincial Disaster Management Centre is coordinating response efforts with district and local municipalities, national departments and emergency services as the South African Weather Service (SAWS) warns of rainfall totals between 150 mm and 200 mm in the Garden Route, with even higher accumulations possible in mountainous areas.

Strong wind gusts of up to 100 km/h and dangerous sea conditions along the south coast are also forecasted, along with disruptive snowfall over high-lying areas.

The severe weather has prompted the Western Cape education department to close all public ordinary and special needs schools in selected circuits in the Eden and Central Karoo education districts on Wednesday and Thursday.

Education minister David Maynier announced on Tuesday that schools in circuits three and eight in George, circuit four in Knysna, and circuits five and six in Oudtshoorn will be closed on 6 and 7 May. Learner transport routes in affected circuits have also been suspended.

“Our default position is always to keep schools open and only close schools in exceptional circumstances, but we are mindful of the severity of the warnings in place,” Maynier said.

The decision was taken after extensive consultation with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre and SAWS.

SAWS has issued warnings for disruptive rain across the affected areas from 5 May until 7 May, with severe thunderstorm warnings in place. The weather service has warned of the potential for significant flooding, damage to infrastructure and disruptions to essential services.

Joint Operations Centres have been activated across high-risk areas, and water rescue resources are being pre-positioned.

While many dams in the affected catchment areas currently show low to moderate levels, authorities caution that intense rainfall over short periods could result in rapid inflows, dam spillages and downstream flooding.

Emergency and relief services, including health, humanitarian organisations, law enforcement and sea rescue teams, remain on standby.

Residents are urged to avoid crossing flooded roads, rivers and low-lying bridges, stay away from coastal areas during periods of high seas and strong winds, and monitor official communication channels for updates.

Affected schools have received official notice of the closure from the head of department and have been requested to communicate the closures to parents. The full list of school closures is available on the Western Cape education department website.

Schools are expected to reopen on Friday, 8 May. However, the department will evaluate weather predictions for the end of the week to determine whether any individual school closures are necessary for the remainder of the week.

All other schools in the Western Cape will remain open unless approval has been granted for closure on a case-by-case basis.

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