The South African Weather Service (Saws) is forecasting a cool and unsettled weekend for Cape Town, with fog on Saturday giving way to rain on Sunday and temperatures remaining well below the summer average.

A chilly Friday greets Capetonians

Cape Town is currently sitting at 13°C with clear skies, according to Saws.

While the skies may be clear for now, the weather service warns that conditions are set to deteriorate significantly over the coming days as a cold front moves through the region.

Friday’s high is expected to reach 21°C, with a low of 13°C, making it the warmest day of the forecast period, Saws data shows.

Residents are being urged to make the most of Friday’s relatively mild conditions before the weekend brings considerably less favourable weather.

Fog and cool conditions expected on Saturday

Saturday will see a marked shift in conditions, with Saws recording a humidity level of 80% and forecasting fog as the dominant weather condition for the day.

Temperatures will range from 13°C to 19°C.

Wind will be light and northerly, clocking in at just 0.2 kilometres per hour, or 5.0 knots, according to Saws.

The weather service further confirms that no rainfall is expected on Saturday, with both the rain amount and rain probability recorded at zero. The sun will rise at 7:52am and set at 5:46pm, giving Cape Town just under ten hours of daylight.

Sunday brings rain and rising humidity

Conditions are expected to worsen further on Sunday, with Saws forecasting slight rain and a significant increase in humidity to 85%.

Temperatures will remain cool, ranging from a low of 14°C to a high of just 16°C.

Saws data shows that Sunday’s rain probability is 80%, with an expected rainfall of 25 millimetres.

Wind will strengthen considerably compared to Saturday, shifting to a north-northwest direction at 15.0 knots, while sunrise and sunset times remain largely unchanged at 7:52am and 5:47pm respectively.

A cold week ahead for the Mother City

The cooler and unsettled conditions are not expected to lift quickly.

According to the weather service, Monday will bring a high of just 14°C and a low of 11°C, with cloudy skies persisting over the city.

Tuesday offers a brief reprieve, with Saws forecasting sunny conditions and a similar temperature range of 14°C to 8°C.

However, cloud cover returns from Wednesday through Thursday, with highs of 15°C and 16°C, respectively, and lows dropping to 8°C and 10 °C.