Read more about Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation activities in SADC. The most severe of which will be on water supply, and its subsequent effects such as a decrease in agriculture.

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science, Changes in Precipitation Over Southern Africa During Recent Centuries, Quaternary Climate Variation in Southern Africa, Climate Impact: Managed Ecosystems and Agriculture, Climate Systems and Climate Dynamics: Biogeochemistry, Climate Systems and Climate Dynamics: Theoretical Foundations. Thus, research into the relative shortcomings of the models in the southern African region may lead not only to better understanding of southern African climate but also to enhanced capability to predict climate globally. While the Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate with winter rainfall, most of the country experiences summer rain. The Western Cape province has a Mediterranean climate with warm to hot, dry, sunny summer weather and mild, rainy conditions in winter.

Snow is a rare occurrence, with snowfall having been experienced in May 1956, August 1962, June 1964, September 1981, August 2006 (light), on 27 June 2007,[8] accumulating up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in the southern suburbs, and most recently on 7 August 2012.

Therefore, SADC Member States are collaborating to find ways to adapt to, and mitigate, the effects of climate change in the region. In winter temperatures can drop below freezing, also due to altitude. Regular cold fronts pass over in winter bringing very cold southerly winds but usually clear skies. Southern Africa extends from the equator to about 34°S and is essentially a narrow, peninsular land mass bordered to its south, west, and east by oceans. Winter temperatures may reach the freezing point at high altitude, but are at their most mild in coastal regions, particularly KwaZulu Natal Province and perhaps the Eastern Cape. Rain falls from October to February and is often heavy, with the amount of precipitation increasing from west to east.

[2] The average annual rainfall for South Africa is about 464 mm (compared to a global average of 786 mm[3]) but large and unpredictable variations are common. The summer and winter ra… Droughts are common in the arid and semi-arid regions, and heavy rainfalls following periods of drought can cause severe flooding.

As much of the region relies on subsistence Agriculture for their income, accurate predictions of weather patterns are instrumental to many people’s livelihoods.

This region is characterized by rainfall throughout the year, but it is heaviest in summer. Please subscribe or login to access full text content. The Indian and Atlantic oceans meet at the southwestern tip of South Africa. Much of the interior of southern Africa consists of a plateau 1 to 1.5 km high and a narrow coastal belt that is particularly mountainous in South Africa, leading to sharp topographic gradients.
The temperature occasionally drops to below freezing at night, causing frost. If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code. SADC has an opportunity to contribute to regional and global efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. The warm Agulhas Current runs south along the east coast and the cold Benguela Current flows north along the western shore. The arid regions are in the north-west, with the driest areas being the north-west coast.