The SA Weather Service (Saws) warned that the country will experience “bitterly cold, wet and windy” weather over the next few days.

Flooding and heavy rains are expected over the Cape Town metropole, Cape winelands, Overberg and the escarpment of the West Coast district from Thursday afternoon into Friday, the SA Weather Service (SAWS) warned on Thursday.

Several parts of the country are set to experience “bitterly cold, wet and windy” weather over the next few days, the service said.

Gale to strong gale-force northwesterly winds of 65-95km/h are expected over the Western Cape interior including the Cape Town metropole, Overstrand and Cape Agulhas municipalities on Thursday leading into Friday.

The SAWS warned that damaging gale-force winds of at least 62km/h are expected in places over Dr Beyers Naudé, Blue Crane Route, Makana, Raymond Mhlaba, Inxuba Yethemba, Amahlathi, Enoch Mgijima and Senqu districts in the Eastern Cape.

In the Northern Cape, strong interior northwesterly winds (65-75km/h) are expected over the southern and western parts of the Northern Cape on Thursday and Friday.

High seas with wave heights of 6-8m are expected along the coast between Hondeklip Bay and Cape Agulhas on Thursday, spreading to Port Alfred on Friday into Saturday.

The NSRI warned that gale-force winds and high seas are expected along the coast and may result in damage to infrastructure and beach erosion. Disruption to port and small harbour activities can be expected.

NSRI CEO Cleeve Robertson cautioned that with storms and high seas predicted along coastal regions, smaller vessels at sea might have difficulty navigating through the conditions.

“We are also appealing to boaters, paddlers, beachgoers, surfers, coastal hikers, anglers and the public to be cautious about the coastline and to follow SA Weather Service (SAWS) forecasts.

“We urge beachgoers and coastal hikers to stay away from the coastline, as dangerous waves or surges may catch them off-guard and could potentially sweep them off the rocks along the shoreline,” Robertson said.