"Cape Doctor" is the local name for the strong, often persistent and dry south-easterly
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
that blows on the
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
n coast from spring to late summer (September to March in the southern hemisphere). It is known as the Cape Doctor because of a local belief that it clears
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
of pollution and 'pestilence'.
Background
Although the wind blows over a wide area of the
Western Cape Province
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
, it is notorious especially in and around the
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of ...
, 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
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
.
SOUTH EASTER
, CUSTOMWEATHER,INC 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 and even weeks.
See also
*Fremantle Doctor
The Fremantle Doctor, the Freo Doctor, or simply The Doctor, is the Western Australian vernacular term for the cooling afternoon sea breeze that occurs during summer months in Southwest Australia, south west Coastal regions of Western Australia, ...
* Southerly buster
*Backdoor cold front
A backdoor cold front, or backdoor front, is a cold front moving south or southwest along the northeast of the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic seaboard in North America, particularly in the northeast U.S. and the Great Lakes. Typically oc ...
References
External links
Wind Names site
Winds
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