South Africa experienced a sharp return of winter-like conditions last week as a cut-off low brought cold air, rain, snow and severe storms to several parts of the country.

The coldest conditions affected mainly the high-lying interior, where temperatures dropped sharply as the system moved across the country.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned of very cold conditions in places over the eastern interior, particularly the high ground, during the weekend.

High-lying areas bore the brunt of the cold

The Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and parts of KwaZulu-Natal experienced some of the most noticeable temperature drops during the week.

The cold was particularly pronounced in elevated areas, where temperatures can drop quickly overnight and in the early morning.

By Saturday, SAWS forecast cloudy, windy and cool conditions across the Free State and North West. Mpumalanga would remain cool to cold, with morning fog along the escarpment.

KwaZulu-Natal also saw a marked change, with cold conditions, rain and thunderstorms moving across the province as the weather system shifted eastwards.

A dramatic change from the start of spring

The cold spell arrived just days after the start of meteorological spring on 1 September.

Instead of a widespread warm-up, a cut-off low pushed colder air into the interior and created a mix of rain, thunderstorms and winter-like temperatures.

The system also produced severe weather. By 5 and 6 September, SAWS warnings covered large parts of the Northern Cape, North West, Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, with risks including severe thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds and flooding.

The cold did not affect every province equally

Coastal areas generally experienced milder conditions than the high interior.

The difference is largely linked to elevation. South Africa’s inland plateau sits considerably higher above sea level than the coast, allowing temperatures to fall much lower during cold spells.

That is why places in the interior can experience freezing mornings while coastal areas remain comparatively mild.

Was this South Africa’s coldest province?

There is not enough publicly accessible station data from SAWS for 1–7 September to reliably rank all nine provinces by their lowest recorded temperature.

Rather than naming a province without complete observations, the available evidence points to the high-lying central and eastern interior as the main focus of the week’s cold spell.