Although Bob Dylan was making a philosophical statement with the words of his song Blowin’ in the Wind, it also holds its ground in a meteorological sense.
The high incidence of unseasonal easterly winds ruined many a beach day for holidaymakers and tourists in the Bay and surrounds during the festive period.
This is most especially for those that thought they would escape the consistent rain of their hometowns in Gauteng and enjoy some idyllic weather along our coastal belt.
Nelson Mandela Bay lived up to its reputation as being the “Windy City” once again during December 2025.
Although average wind speeds were not above normal, it was the easterly component that led everybody, including myself, to believe that this December’s wind was exceptionally out of the ordinary.
The easterly component (between northeasterly and southeasterly) was in fact a whopping 10% above the norm of 38% at 48% of the time during December.
In an 11-day period between December 20-31, there was a westerly component for only one and a half days.
Incidentally, November 1997 held the all-time highest average wind speed record in the Bay.
This record did not stand long, as December 1997 took the honours as the windiest month on record, a record that has not been broken and hopefully never will be.
At that time, there were constant westerly winds, often reaching gale force for days on end.
Tourism in the metro took a serious blow after that event.
It is interesting to note that for the following five years, bar one, all annual rainfall totals were above 600mm in Gqeberha.
December has the highest monthly average wind speed, but October and November have the greatest number of hours with winds exceeding 30km/h.
This could be the reason for the nickname ‘The Windiest City”, due to the constant blowing when holidaymakers visit the metro.
Although our infrastructure is built around protecting from the westerly, it did not help much in 1997.
Easterly component winds are generally more constant, often last for longer, and are not as gusty as westerly winds, which are generally stronger and shorter-lived.
However, with most infrastructure not protecting from prevailing easterly winds, they are perceived as stronger.
I, personally, find them more irritating than westerlies.
For our fishermen, easterlies that persist for more than two days are not good for fishing along the coast, as I am told by many an avid fisherman.
My kayak fishing friend Dean has a saying about the wind direction and fishing, which is, “With the east you catch the least, with the west you catch the best. With the north don’t go forth, while the south blows your bait in your mouth.”
Ski-boat fishermen do not like the east, as it makes the sea choppy and this year pushed in a ton of seaweed towards shore, which caused all sorts of other problems for them.
The answer to the cause of these persistent easterly winds is the dominant high-pressure system, sitting further south due to easterly waves of low pressure dominating in the north.
This has led to moist, high-energy tropical air being fed into the northern parts of Southern Africa.
This has resulted in the high frequency of convective activity in the northeast of the country, extending into the central parts as well.
This can only be attributed to the effects of La Nina.
While here we are praying for rain, residents in the northeastern and central parts of the country are praying for some relief from the rain.
Frontal systems could not get close enough to show their dominance with a westerly blow.
This has also led to the absence of the passing frontal rain showers that are so badly needed for our long-suffering gardens.
The rainfall figures from up north are enough to make us green with envy, with most areas receiving more than 200mm in total for November and December.
Thabazimbi received over 300mm and Nelspruit was hit with more than 400mm for the same period.
Our dismal 35mm in the Bay for the same period tells a very sad story, to say the least.
George, with its 60mm and Cape Town, with almost no rain, show the extent of influence along the coastal belt and adjacent interior.
Incidentally, if you recall, in my last column of 2025, I alluded to the fact that we were heading for the driest second half of the year in the 125-year rainfall history of Gqeberha.
As I feared, there was insufficient rain in the last few weeks of the month to prevent that record.
Therefore, 2025 now officially stands as the year with the driest second half of the year.
With the outlook for dismal low rainfall figures for the first half of 2026 over our region, we should all be concerned, especially the authorities tasked with managing our water supplies.
This is also a dire warning that the effects of climate change are now becoming a reality that cannot be ignored.
This week in history:
1907: A tornado is reported in the Janesville area.
Dam Levels
49.7% dropped a full percentage point from previous weeks 50.8%
Impofu slightly down to 43.63%
Weather Safety Tips:
Always wear sunscreen, even on cloudy days, as these are the days that you can suffer serious sunburn. Always remember to stay hydrated when outdoors in the heat.
Now on Facebook, Instagram, and X: @WeatherGuruEC
The Herald
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