SOUTH AFRICAN METEOROLOGY: WEATHER 

 FORECASTING. 



By Adolph Gislingham Howard, M.S.A. 



Although the title of this paper is the same as that chosen 

 by the President of Section A in his address delivered on the 

 5th of July last year, it does not in any way clash therewith. 

 The Rev. Mr. Goetz has very fully explained the origin and 

 progress of weather forecasting in Europe and America, and 

 has also quoted, to a certain extent, from the officer who was 

 in charge of the forecasting at Johannesburg. The present 

 paper continues the subject, and refers solely to the practical 

 side of weather forecasting in South Africa. 



The writer of this paper has studied the question for a 

 great number of years; about 25 years ago he used to send 

 forecasts to an evening paper, based upon similar data to that 

 which is now available, and met with a fair amount of success ; 

 the service was discontinued owing to the closing down of the 

 paper. 



As far as can be ascertained these were the first weather 

 forecasts ever issued in South Africa. Many years afterwards 

 the Transvaal Observatory began to issue forecasts embracing its 

 own Province, but none until now have been issued in the Cape 

 Province since that time. 



One great drawback to working out weather forecasts for 

 the Cape Province is the paucity of observing stations. The 

 area embraced by the forecasting service, leaving out the 

 Transvaal for the present, extends from Clanwilliam, along 

 the south-west, south, and south-east coasts to Natal, 

 its inland boundaries extend from the Cedarbergen across by 

 the Karoo Poort and along the edge of the Upper Plateau, 

 which is bounded by the Nieuwveld, Stormberg, Sneeuwberg 

 and Drakenberg ranges. This area is divided into four districts : 



1. The South-West, the easterly limit of which extends 

 from Cape Hanglip, along the Zondereinde River Mountains, 

 and follows the 20th meridian until it cuts the northern 

 boundary. 



2. The South Coast; the east boundary extends from the 

 mountains to the east of Graaff-Reinet, south of Somerset East. 

 and along the Zuurberg Range to Fish River mouth. 



3. The South -East; this includes Western Transkei and is 

 bounded by the canyon of the Umzimvubu or St. John's River 



4. Natal; all the coast land north-east of the last-named 

 boundary. 



None of these districts is small, and yet the observing 

 stations are few and far between. For the south-west we have 

 Ganwilliam, the Observatory and Cape Point; for the south 



