PORT Elizabeth needs only a further 28mm of rain within the next 18 days for 2012 to be officially declared the wettest winter on record.
The existing record was set in 1979, when 452mm of rain fell in the city between the start of June and the end of August.
Port Elizabeth has already surpassed the record for the second wettest winter – set in 2002.
Port Elizabeth Weather Office spokesman Garth Sampson said as at 2pm yesterday, the 2002 figure of 405mm had been exceeded by 19mm, with a total of 424mm of rain falling so far this winter.
Comprehensive rainfall figures have been recorded since the 1960s.
Sampson said yesterday it was "very possible” that the 1979 record could be toppled.
According to weather office figures, the highest rainfall months this year so far were last month (201.2mm) and March (187.8mm).
Sampson said the total annual rainfall of 735mm over the past seven months had already exceeded the 1979 annual record.
"With five months remaining, we are fast approaching the wettest year in more than 30 years,” he said.
"This year has been fairly unique in terms of constant rainfall but not causing major flooding.”
The wettest year on record in Port Elizabeth was 1981, with 1020mm of rain recorded.
Yesterday, weather service officials released five warnings for the Eastern Cape area.
These included warnings for expected gale-force winds, rough seas, snowfalls between Graaff-Reinet and Aliwal North and very cold conditions over the high-lying areas of the province.
Forecaster Phemelo Moloabi said the wet and windy weather was expected to start clearing from today but another cold front was approaching from the Western Cape.
"The cold front is approaching from the west and is expected to make landfall over Cape Town [tomorrow].
"This front will continue moving eastwards and reach the Eastern Cape south coast on Wednesday,” she said.
According to the weather office, from Friday to yesterday about 16.6mm of rain fell at the Port Elizabeth Airport with 22.2mm recorded in Greenbushes, 33.4mm in Kabega Park, 4mm in Uitenhage and 30.4 mm at the Third Avenue dip, Newton Park.
In areas surrounding Nelson Mandela Bay, 35.2mm fell in Cape St Francis and 11.2mm at the port of Ngqura.
Inland temperatures dropped to below freezing at the weekend with the lowest temperatures recorded in Barkly East with a minimum of -3.2°C and a maximum of 6.3°C.
Provincial police disaster management spokesman Captain John Fobian said no serious incidents had been reported at the weekend and teams in the Bay would remain on standby.
Bay acting municipal spokeswoman Marthie Nel said the Third Avenue dip had been closed as a precautionary measure.
Roads leading from St Francis Bay and Humansdorp to Oyster Bay were also closed due to heavy rain.
