Unkind Weather of Cape Town

Staying at the Table Bay Hotel along the seafront was meant to offer us a spectacular view of the iconic Table Mountain. Yet, during our three-day stay in Cape Town, the weather proved uncooperative. For most of the time, the mountain remained shrouded in thick clouds and mist, its famous flat summit hidden from sight. We had also hoped to ascend to the top by cable car, but each time our tour guide checked with the operator, the service remained suspended - not due to rain, but because of the strong winds. Operating a 65-passenger cable car in such conditions would have been far too dangerous.

The city’s frequent bouts of wet weather and powerful winds are largely the result of its geography. Cape Town sits close to the Cape of Good Hope, a dramatic point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans converge. The meeting of these two mighty bodies of water stirs up volatile weather patterns, ensuring that the city’s climate is as dynamic and unpredictable as its scenery is breathtaking.

Table Bay Hotel

Breakfast at the hotel.

View from our hotel window.

On our final night in Cape Town, we decided to take a ride on the Cape Wheel. Though the Ferris wheel is relatively modest in size compared to those in larger cities, it still offered us a pleasant vantage point. The view, while not sweeping across the entire city, provided a charming perspective of the V&A Waterfront and glimpses of the harbor lights shimmering against the night sky.

Table Mountain shrouded in cloud: This was what we saw most of the time in Cape Town.

The weather finally improved at the very morning we left Cape Town to the airport to catch a local flight to Johannesburg. We had a glimpse of it in our moving bus.