Cape Doctor
"Cape Doctor,"[1] also known as the "Southeaster,"[1] is the local name for the strong, often persistent and dry south-easterly wind on the South African coast.[1][2]
The Cape Doctor specifically refers to the wind that blows from spring to late summer (September to March in the southern hemisphere).[citation needed] It is known as the Cape Doctor because of a local belief that it clears Cape Town of pollution and 'pestilence'.[3]
Southeaster wind is used to refer to strong south-easterly winds that blow in the same region in the winter months often ahead of a cold-front.[1]
Both these terms are often used interchangeably by people in the region.
Background
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Although the wind blows over a wide area of the Western Cape Province, it is notorious especially in and around the Cape Peninsula, where it can be unpleasantly strong and irritating. Capetonians also call it "the South-Easter".
The South Easter is usually accompanied by fair weather. However, if the South-Easter is accompanied by a cut-off low as occasionally happens in the spring and autumn months, this can cause heavy rains to fall over the Western Cape.[4] This phenomenon is popularly known as a Black South-Easter. The Laingsburg flood of January 1981 was caused by heavy rains as part of a Black South Easter.
It is ironic that the meteorological records for Cape Town show that the north-westerly winds of winter can be far stronger than the South-Easter, while these winds are not given such a positive name. This could be because the north-westerly winds are usually accompanied by rain, which can fall for days.
The wind is associated with the fairy tail of Jan Van Hunks and the Devil as it is the cause of the "table cloth," or cloud cover, on Table Mountain.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Oliver, John E. (23 April 2008). Encyclopedia of World Climatology. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 470 & 473. ISBN 978-1-4020-3264-6.
- ^ Deacon, Harriet; Phillips, Howard; Heyningen, E. Van (2004). The Cape Doctor in the Nineteenth Century: A Social History. Rodopi. p. 17. ISBN 978-90-420-1074-1.
- ^ a b Muir, John (3 October 2013). Walking Cape Town: Urban walks and drives in the Cape Peninsula. Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN 978-1-920545-77-2.
- ^ SOUTH EASTER Archived 2009-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, CUSTOMWEATHER, INC
External links
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