Water restrictions lifted after good rain

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

This is the wettest, coldest winter in years,” is a phrase bandied about by Overstrand residents every year as winter storms batter the coast, while the rest of the country is celebrating Spring Day.

This year, the phrase is partly true. With pictures and videos of snow-covered mountains doing the rounds on social media over the weekend, residents grabbed for extra blankies as the cold and rain gripped our region. A total of 46 mm of rain was measured over the weekend.

This brought the rainfall total for the month to 149 mm, making this the wettest August since 2015 when 201 mm fell. The wettest August in the last 74 years was in 1986 when a whopping 211 mm was measured.

According to Johan Montgomery, viticulturist at Hamilton Russell Vineyards, a total of 210 mm was measured in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley during the month, making it the wettest August in the valley since 2013, when 245 mm was recorded.

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