Wet July fills dams in a flash
2007-08-02
WITH the skies having opened up over Drakenstein in July - “just like in olden days”, people say - the new Berg River Dam has already impounded 18 million cubic metres of water.
In layman’s terms this means that the dam west of Franschhoek is 14% full even before all the work has been completed.
During the past week 163mm of rain fell in the catchment area of Paarl’s main supply dam in Wemmershoek, lifting the level from 78,5% to 93,8% (last year’s highest level was 78%).
July’s rainfall total of 186mm in Paarl is only slightly more than that of last year (109mm), with 2005 measuring 106mm, 2004 a good 133mm and 2003 having suffered a pitiful 57mm.
The average recorded rainfall for Paarl since 1924 is 148mm, with the wettest July in 1954 (480mm) and the driest year being 1959 (22mm).
People who dive under the duvets, stoke the fires and complain about 2007 being the coldest winter ever, could be right.
Even though night temperatures sank as low as 2 degrees Celcius on more than one occasion during June and July, with temperatures as low as 11 during the day, this July saw seven days where the mercury did not rise above 15 degrees.
A homeless man, Willem September, was found dead behind an off-sales in Huguenot on Sunday morning. He presumably died of exposure.
There is a 60 to 80% chance of showers today and tomorrow, with sunny skies on Saturday - even though there might be thunder in the rugby stadiums in Paarl and Wellington where interschools matches are taking place.
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