LIMPOPO RIVER

LIMPOPO RIVER: Climate

eWISA Home | LIMPOPO: MAIN INDEX | ALPHABETICAL LIST OF RIVERS

Map of the LIMPOPO River

E-mail us

TEMPERATURE

The Crocodile (west)/Marico Water Management Area (Crocodile):

The upper higher lying areas of the catchment experience cold winters (daily average minima and maxima of 1⁰C and 15⁰C respectively) and reasonably hot summers (10⁰ and 30⁰ C). Frost is prevalent in winter. North of the Magaliesberg Mountain Range very little frost occurs and winters are more moderate. Summer midday temperatures can reach maxima of 35⁰ C to 40⁰C in the shade. (Ref.5)

The Limpopo Water Management Area:

"The mean annual temperature of the Limpopo Water Management Area ranges from 16° in the south to 22° in the north, with an average of 20° for the WMA as a whole. The average maximum monthly temperature is 30° in the month of January, while the average minimum monthly temperature is 4° in the month of July. " REF 1.

The Luvuvhu/Letaba Water Management Area:

The mean annual temperature ranges from about 18 °C in the mountainous areas to more than 28 °C in the northern and eastern parts of the WMA with an average of about 25,5 °C for the WMA as a whole. Maximum temperatures are experienced in January and minimum temperatures occur on average in July. (Ref.2)

The Olifants Water Management Area:

The climate varies from cool in the southern Highveld region of the water management area through temperate in the central parts to sub-tropical east of the escarpment. (Ref.3)

RAINFALL

The Crocodile (west)/Marico Water Management Area (Marico):

The climate of the catchments of Marico and Upper Ngotwane is generally semi-arid in the east and dry in the west. The Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) ranging between 600 and 800 in the Marico. The rainfall is strongly seasonal with rainfall occurring as thunderstorms in summer. The variation in annual rainfall from the long term mean is especially pronounced in the Maricoand Upper Ngotwane river catchments (Ref.4)

The Crocodile (west)/Marico Water Management Area (Crocodile):

Summer (October to April) rainfall patterns predominate with the traditional heavy deluges in the afternoon (cumulonimbus induced thundershowers being the norm). December and January are the peak rainfall months with hail being prevalent. Frontal climatic systems bring soft soaking rains on occasion. Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) is generally higher in the southern and eastern parts of the catchment where this value averages out at around 800mm per annum. The northern and western lower lying areas tend to have a MAP of between 500-600mm. MAPs fluctuate in dry/wet cycles of between 7 and 10 years (variations from 300mm in dry years to 1000mm in good rainfall years). During certain years large-scale flooding occurs in this catchment which wreak tremendous damage on irrigation farming operations (mainly north of Magaliesberg). This irrigation farming tends to be located on the broad floodplains associated with the middle and lower Crocodile River System. (Ref.5)

The Limpopo Water Management Area:

"The Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) in the Limpopo Water Management Area ranges widely, with rainfall ranging from as little as 200 mm/annum in the north to over 1 200 mm/annum in the Soutpansberg mountains. In general rainfall decreases from the south to the north, with the lowest rainfall occurring in the Limpopo valley in the north-east of the Limpopo Water Management Area . " Ref 1

The Luvuvhu/Letaba Water Management Area:

Rainfall in the Luvuvhu catchment is strongly seasonal and occurs mainly during the summer months (i.e. October to March) and is strongly influenced by the topography. The peak rainfall months are January and February. The mean annual precipitation varies from less than 450mm on the low lying plains (northern and eastern part of the WMA) to more than 2 300 mm at Entambeini in the Soutpansberg in the mountainous areas (south western and north western parts of the WMA).(Ref.2)

The rainfall in the Letaba catchment is largely influenced by the topography. As a result of the orographic effects caused by the mountainous zone, mean annual precipitation (MAP) varies between 700mm and 1500mm in the mountainous zone. The annual rainfall over the remainder of the catchment ranges from 450mm to 800mm. More than 85% of the annual rainfall occurs during the summer months.(Ref.2)

The Olifants Water Management Area:

The mean annual rainfall falls in the range 500 mm in the Lowveld region, reaching 1000 mm in the mountains and reducing to 700 mm in the South in the Mpumalanga Highveld region of the water management area. The potential evaporation is well in excess of the rainfall. (Ref.3)

References

Ref 1: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2004. Internal Strategic Perspective: Limpopo Water Management Area : Prepared by Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn (Pty) Ltd, in association with Tlou & Matji (Pty) Ltd and Golder Associates (Pty) Ltd. on behalf of the Directorate: National Water Resource Planning. Report No. P WMA 01/000/00/0304.

Ref.2. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2004. Luvuvhu/Letaba Water Management Area: Internal Strategic Perspective. Prepared by Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn (Pty) Ltd in association with Tlou and Matji, Golder Associates Africa and BKS on behalf of the Directorate: National Water Resource Planning. DWAF Report No. P WMA 02/000/00/0304.

Ref.3. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2004. Olifants Water Management Area: Internal Strategic Perspective. Prepared by GMKS, Tlou and Matji and WMB on behalf of the Directorate: National Water Resource Planning. DWAF Report No P WMA 04/000/00/0304 .

Ref.4. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2004. Crocodile (West) and Marico Water Management Area: Internal Strategic Perspective of the Marico-Upper Molopo & Upper Ngotwane catchments. Prepared by Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn in association with Golder and Associates and Tlou and Matji (Pty) Ltd. DWAF Report No. P WMA 03/000/00/0404

Ref.5. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2004. Crocodile River (West) and Marico Water Management Area: Internal Strategic Perspective of the Crocodile River (West) catchment : Prepared by Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn (Pty) Ltd, Tlou & Matji (Pty) Ltd and Golder Associates (Pty) Ltd, on behalf of the Directorate: National Water Resource Planning. DWAF Report No. 03/000/00/0303.

Useful links