Weather patterns and climate change, coupled with other environmental factors, affect the quality, availability, demand and general use of water resources. Such impacts are attributed to increased frequency of extreme climate events such as intense storms, heavy rainfall events, droughts and floods, and have direct and indirect effects on socio-economic development and human health.
Rainfall Elasticity Index
The Rainfall elasticity of streamflow is an index that estimates how annual and long-term changes of rainfall affect long-term streamflow changes. The information is important for water resources management, planning and sustainability thereof.
Precipitation Concentration Index
The Precipitation Concentration Index provides information on the spatial-temporal distribution, concentration and long-term variability of rainfall. The index is calculated at seasonal, supra-seasonal and annual timescales.
Drought propagation tool
The Drought propagator is a tool to monitor drought by tracking stages at which a meteorological drought (due to delay or insufficient rainfall) transits into a hydrological drought affecting water reservoirs such as groundwater, streamflow, lakes, dams and rivers, with appropriate drought indices and long-term data.
Streamflow forecasts
Streamflow is one of the most important components of the water cycle and a useful indicator of long-term hydro-climatic changes. Streamflow forecasting at different timescales for various purposes in the water sector assist particularly for water resources management and planning.
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Districts Rainfall Stats (DRS) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Text |
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File Format |
Microsoft Excel |
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File Size |
Small |
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Frequency |
Monthly |
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Thematic Application Area/ Target Market |
· Government · Farmers · Researchers · Universities · Financial sectors etc |
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Coverage |
South Africa
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Dissemination Channels |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
District rainfall calculates monthly rainfall for the 94 rainfall district regions across the country. This is the best option for clients who are interested in rainfall for the whole country but don’t have time to look at individual stations. Long term analysis can include trends, percentage of normals, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPIs), etc. |
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Provincial Rainfall Stats (PRS) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Text |
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File Format |
Microsoft Excel |
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File Size |
Small |
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Frequency |
Monthly |
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Target Market |
· Government · Farmers · Researchers · Universities · Financial sectors etc |
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Coverage |
South Africa
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Dissemination Channels |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
The product provides a general overview of rainfall across the country. It is ideal for clients who are only interested in one rainfall value per province per month. |
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Climate Change Reference Atlas (CCRA) |
Provide a Hyperlink: https://www.weathersa.co.za/home/climatechangeatlas https://www.weathersa.co.za/home/extremeclimateindices
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
NC, Shapefiles, Jpeg |
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File Format |
Shapefiles, Jpeg |
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Frequency |
5 years cycle |
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Thematic Application Area/ Target Market |
· All Sectors |
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Coverage |
National, Provincial and municipality |
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Dissemination Channels |
Product reports are available on the website. Raw data for further value add are available upon request and commercial terms |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
The Climate Change Reference Atlas provides a general impression of climate change scenarios compared to the present climate, at a high resolution of ~4 km. These scenarios are for various periods and emission scenarios and can assist with initial long-term planning for all climate-sensitive sectors. The information can serve as a preparatory phase for more in-depth future scenario research, relevant to a specific sector. |
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Parameter Return Reports (PRR) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Text |
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File Format |
Report Excel / word |
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File Size |
Small /Medium |
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Frequency |
Upon request |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· All Sectors · Mostly construction and design |
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
· Emails |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
The products can be used for the built industry for design purposes. Very useful for the engineering and insurance industry to determine the risk. |
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Rainfall Downtime Reports (RDR) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Text |
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File Format |
Report Excel / MSWord / PDF |
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File Size |
Small |
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Frequency |
Upon request |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· Construction. |
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Coverage |
Whole country based on rainfall availability |
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Dissemination Channels |
· Emails |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
The product assists the construction industry in making rainfall extension claims for insurance purposes. It provides accurate and reliable data on rainfall patterns, allowing construction companies to substantiate their claims and seek appropriate coverage for weather-related delays and damages. |
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Climate Data (CD) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Text |
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File Format |
MS Excel, MSWord, Pdf |
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File Size |
Request dependant |
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Frequency |
Upon request |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· All Sectors |
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
Long-term analysis, understanding of weather and climate of the area, verification of weather conditions in the area. |
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Specialized Lightning Report (SLR) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Text or Excel |
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Data Formant |
Report PDF or MSWord |
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File Size |
Small /Medium |
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Frequency |
Upon request |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· All sectors |
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
To accurately determine the position and strength of a ground strike. Used to validate insurance claims. |
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Marine Portals and Custom Operational Services (MPCOS) |
Provide a Hyperlink : https://marine.weathersa.co.za/Products_Services_Ports.html
Monthly Reports:
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Variable |
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File Size |
Variable (Depends on Request) |
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Frequency |
As Required |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· Marine Applications |
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
· Web Portals and Reports. |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
Provide specialised products developed according to clients' needs and thresholds such as predicting the amount of downtime of operations (ports or shipping), ideal conditions for research or operational surveys, forecasting for coastal field work or diving operations, etc. |
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Heat and Chill Units (H&C)
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Provide a Hyperlink
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Maps, txt, xlsx |
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File Size |
Small/Medium |
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Frequency |
Hourly, daily |
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Thematic Application Area/Market |
· Agriculture · Biodiversity · Ecology
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
· Web Portal · Mobile APP · Social media |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
· Heat units are used to assess the suitability of a region for crop production; t o select suitable hybrids and varieties; estimate the growth-stages of crops, weeds, and life stages of insects; predict best timing of fertilizer or pesticide application; and to plan spacing of planting dates to produce separate harvest dates . · Chill units are used to predict the end of the dormancy period, to determine time for cultivation practices, and to identify potential growing locations. |
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Lightning Climatology (LC) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
Images can be provided in standard formats such as GIF, PNG, JPEG or in documents such as Word and PDF. An option is also available to provide data in text files, Excel, or shapefile format. |
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File Size |
25 kb – 20+ mb dependent on format. |
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Frequency |
Annual |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· Insurance · Lightning Protection · Energy · Construction · Forestry · Transportation · And other sectors concerned with lightning distributions.
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Coverage |
National and can be tailor-made at the provincial, municipality or point location level.
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Dissemination Channels |
Information is typically provided by email but can be provided by other dissemination channels as requested by clients. |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
Lightning climatological information provides important insights into the typical distribution and characteristics of lightning across South Africa which is extremely valuable for lightning protection standards, risk assessments, and planning. |
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Lightning Stroke Detection (LSD) |
http://cyclone-web.saws.co.za/ncastweb/lightning_5mn.html
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
ASCII |
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File Format |
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File Size |
Small |
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Frequency |
1 minute |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· DRR · Insurance · Schools · Aviation · Sport and recreation · Mining · Forestry · Transportation · Energy · Construction |
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
· Web portal · Mobile APP · Social media |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
The product provides gridded near-real-time lightning maps to monitor lightning activity anywhere in South Africa with the capability for clients to view the current location of lightning storm cells and the intensity thereof. This product can be used for decision making to stop activities when a storm approaches and to resume activities once the threat is over. |
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Monthly Drought Bulletin |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
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File Size |
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Frequency |
Monthly |
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Thematic Application Area/Market |
· Government · Farmers · Researchers · Universities · Financial sectors etc |
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Coverage |
South Africa |
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Dissemination Channels |
SAWS website: https://www.weathersa.co.za/Documents/Climate/nr_drought.pdf
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user
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The product serves as a valuable tool for decision makers in government, enabling them to effectively monitor drought conditions and allocate resources accordingly. It is also useful across different sectors, i.e., farmers for planning purposes, investors, and insurance companies. Researchers may use the product to pick up case studies for further investigations. |
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Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
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File Format |
Word, JPEG, PDF |
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File Size |
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Frequency |
Seasonal, supra-seasonal and annual |
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Thematic Application Area/Target Market |
· Water · Agriculture |
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Coverage |
National, provincial, and tailor-made spatial scale |
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Dissemination Channels |
Product reports are available on request. Other means of dissemination are being explored, including dissemination through SAWS website. |
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Product Benefits/Impact to end – user |
The PCI can be used as an indicator for hydrological risks such as drought and flood, including to facilitate the flow rate from high to lower, thereby eliminating floods. The PCI can also be used for flood risk assessment, water resources management and agricultural planning. |
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Drought Propagator (DP) |
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Additional Information |
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Data Type |
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File Format |
Word, JPEG, PDF |
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File Size |
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Frequency |
Annual |
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Target Market |
· Water Sector · Agriculture |
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Coverage |
National, provincial, and tailor-made spatial scale |
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Dissemination Channels |
Product reports are available on request. Other means of dissemination are being explored, including dissemination through SAWS website. |
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Product Benefits |
Applications of drought propagator include drought monitoring & prediction, drought risk assessment, water resources management & planning as well as for agricultural planning. |
This is a sample of the product for
Wind
