Predicting wind speed and direction keeps Capetonians in a Tizzy!So what's the buzz? Because it makes a difference in our lives!
Before I moved to the Cape, I had no idea what wind was all about! I warn you, Cape Town is a city of powerful winds. Not for nothing was this Cape named the Cape of Storms way-back-when! We are so attached to our winds, we even have names for them. Allow me to introduce you to the Black Westerly and the Cape Doctor. Our wind direction switches with the season. In the winter it blows from the west or north-west, that's the Black Westerly. It's named for the ominous black clouds riding in its train, which herald the arrival of Weather! In winter the westerly will bring rain; in summer, just cool, overcast weather. In summer the wind blows from the south-east. That's the Cape Doctor. It takes the sting out of the heat and blows away the smogwebs. If the 'cloth' is over Table Mountain, you know the South Easter is going to blow. And while the South Easter blows, the weather will remain fine.
No one minds a little wind, do they? The thing is, you need to plan for it. There's no pleasure in being blown away when a little planning would have saved you. There have been pictures in the local papers of people holding onto lampposts to avoid being blown away.One year a double decker bus blew over!
There's a chap who lives in the Strand who judges the wind speed by the seagulls outside his window! (Lucky for him he's near the sea!) If all gulls great and small are airborne, he figures the wind speed is less than 20km/h. If it looks like kelp gulls rule wind speed must be 25 or 30km/h - it's strictly heavy traffic only! Over 35km/h, all gull traffic is grounded!
For humans I use this as a rule of thumb. If the wind speed is forecast to be over 25km/h, I plan to be indoors. As I don’t have seagulls battling the wind outside my windows, I rely on the Cape Town radio stations to keep me posted! If you're determined to go to the beach despite the wind, the Clifton beaches are your best option. After Clifton, go for Glen Beach or Llandudno. Basically stick to the Atlantic side but not Camps Bay or Kommetjie/Long Beach (they’re too open). Otherwise, Kirstenbosch is a great spot and sheltered from the South Easter. Boat trips round the harbour will still be ‘doable’, as will Winelands tours. And if the wind has you beaten, there are always the
indoor things to do in Cape Town!
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