Cape Doctor
Encyclopedia
"Cape Doctor" is the local name for the strong, persistent and dry south-easterly wind
that blows on the South Africa
n coast from spring to late summer (September to March in the southern hemisphere). It is known as the Cape Doctor because it has long been held to clear Cape Town
of pollution and 'pestilence'.
Although the wind smites a wide area of the sub-continent, it is notorious especially in and around the Cape Peninsula, where it can be unpleasantly strong and irritating. The 'Cape Doctor' is to some extent an obsolescent term; many now simply call it the "South-Easter". An ironic fact is that the meteorological records for Cape Town show that the north-west winds of winter can be far stronger and more destructive than the south-Easter.
Although usually accompanied by fair weather, if the SE wind 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
. This phenomenon is popularly known as a black South-Easter. The Laingsburg
flood of 24 and 25 January 1981 is an example of this.
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
that blows on the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n coast from spring to late summer (September to March in the southern hemisphere). It is known as the Cape Doctor because it has long been held to clear Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
of pollution and 'pestilence'.
Although the wind smites a wide area of the sub-continent, it is notorious especially in and around the Cape Peninsula, where it can be unpleasantly strong and irritating. The 'Cape Doctor' is to some extent an obsolescent term; many now simply call it the "South-Easter". An ironic fact is that the meteorological records for Cape Town show that the north-west winds of winter can be far stronger and more destructive than the south-Easter.
Although usually accompanied by fair weather, if the SE wind 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
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
. This phenomenon is popularly known as a black South-Easter. The Laingsburg
Laingsburg, Western Cape
- History :Laingsburg was first established in the 1870s by Stephanus Greeff. He bought the farm Vischkuil-aan-de-Buffelsrivier . The town only started developing when the railway line to it was completed...
flood of 24 and 25 January 1981 is an example of this.