Stormy sea foam attracts, drenches onlookers on Cape Town promenade

A woman takes pictures as spray is thrown up by huge swells as a cold front moves in over Cape Town, South Africa July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Gale-force winds and heavy ocean swells in South Africa's Cape Town halted traffic on Monday with curious onlookers and cars drenched by sea spray foam, witnesses said.

The cappuccino-coloured foam from the icy Atlantic was flung far onto the Sea Point promenade and main road, popular with runners and skaters during summer but virtually deserted in such stormy conditions, Reuters pictures and a video posted by a witness showed.

Africa's southernmost city, Cape Town has been lashed by successive cold fronts with heavy rains and flooding accompanying the latest winter storm that landed late on Sunday in the city known globally among mariners as the "Cape of Storms".

People are drenched by sea spray thrown up by huge swells as a cold front moves in over Cape Town, South Africa, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Wind speeds of between 70-100 kmh (43-62 mph) and wave heights up to 10 metres (33 feet) were expected, the city's emergency services said as it continued with mopping up operations to clear flooding and uprooted trees.

(Reporting by Mike Hutchings and Wendell Roelf; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

People watch spray thrown up by huge swells as a cold front moves in over Cape Town, South Africa, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

People are drenched by sea spray thrown up by huge swells as a cold front moves in over Cape Town, South Africa, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Wind blows sea foam onto the shore in Cape Town, South Africa, July 13, 2020 in this picture obtained from social media. Dian Weys/via REUTERS

People are drenched by sea spray thrown up by huge swells as a cold front moves in over Cape Town, South Africa, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings