Speaker
Mr
Jan Vermeulen
(South African Weather Service)
Description
South African and world rainfall records are compared and new 5-minute, 10-minute, 15-minute and a possible yearly records for SA is reported.
42.4 mm, 70.8 and 76.0 mm were recorded by an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Levubu in Limpopo for 5, 10 and 15 minutes respectively from a thunderstorm 26 February 2016. A rainfall of 4299 mm was recorded for the year 2000 at Matiwa in Limpopo (Makhado district) from Tropical Cyclone Eline and other tropical systems that affected the area.
Mapumulo Prison Automatic Rainfall Station (ARS) in eastern KwaZulu-Natal recorded 138.2 mm/hour 16:15 and 16:25 twice 27 January. Mapumulo's daily rainfall was 186.6 mm and the ARS lies halfway between Stanger and Kranskop. It is the SA record rainfall intensity for one hour pending the validation of the 218 mm in 40 minutes at Swartkoppies 22 km to south of Johannesburg 13 January 1951 recorded by an 8 inch standard rain gauge. The clock hourly rainfall record according to the Climate database is 125 mm 19:00 5 March 1997 at Bisho. Followed by 123 mm 16:00 at Mapumulo.
A cloudburst occurs if rainfall rate is equal to or greater than 100 mm per hour.
HPC content
South African and world rainfall records are compared and new 5-minute, 10-minute, 15-minute and a possible yearly records for SA is reported.
42.4 mm, 70.8 and 76.0 mm were recorded by an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Levubu in Limpopo for 5, 10 and 15 minutes respectively from a thunderstorm 26 February 2016. A rainfall of 4299 mm was recorded for the year 2000 at Matiwa in Limpopo (Makhado district) from Tropical Cyclone Eline and other tropical systems that affected the area.
Primary author
Mr
Jan Vermeulen
(South African Weather Service)
