WEATHER: Severe storms to hit SIX provinces as wet New Year looms

Get daily updates on temperatures, winds and UVB levels, and see what the SA Weather Service predicts for the country.

Here’s the weather outlook for South Africa’s nine provinces.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued warnings of severe storms with rain and hail for six provinces. At the same time, very hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected in parts of South Africa on Wednesday.

SEVERE WEATHER ALERTS

IMPACT-BASED WARNINGS

A. Yellow level 4 Warning: Severe Thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours, damaging winds, excessive lightning and hail resulting in flooding and damage to infrastructure and settlements are expected over the OR Tambo and Amathole Districts of the Eastern Cape.

B. Yellow Level 2 Warning: Severe Thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours resulting in localised flooding, damaging winds and large amounts of small hail are expected over Gauteng, the southern parts of Limpopo, escarpment and the Highveld of Mpumalanga, southern parts of the North West, eastern parts of Free State as well as the north-eastern parts of the Eastern Cape.

FIRE DANGER WARNINGS

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected in places over Northern Cape, south-western parts of the Free State as well as the Beaufort West municipality of the Western Cape.

ADVISORIES

Very hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected over the Khai-Ma municipality of the Northern Cape.

Weather conditions and UVB forecast in South Africa’s provinces

Gauteng

Gauteng can expect partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers.

The expected UVB Sunburn Index is High

Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga, the Place of the Rising Sun, can expect cloudy and warm with scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers, but isolated over the Lowveld.

Limpopo

In Limpopo, cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers over the central and southern parts, but scattered over the south-central. It will be hot in places over the Western Bushveld.

North West

North West, known as Bokone Bophirima in Setswana, can expect partly cloudy and warm to hot with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the west.

Free State

In Free State, partly cloudy and warm to hot with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the west.

Northern Cape

The day will start cloudy over the north-western parts in the morning and evening, otherwise fine and hot to very hot, but partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers in the east and central. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate southerly to south easterly, reaching fresh at times.

Western Cape

Morning fog patches over the south-west coast and adjacent interior where it will be cool in places, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with chances of rain along the south coast. It will be fine over the central and northern parts. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate southerly to south easterly, reaching fresh to strong along the west and south-west coast at times.

The expected UVB sunburn index is Very High

Eastern Cape

The Western half: Fine at first, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot, with isolated afternoon thunderstorms. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly.

The Eastern half: The day will start partly cloudy and warm to hot with scattered thundershowers, but widespread in the north-east. The wind along the coast will be fresh north-easterly.

KwaZulu-Natal

Morning fog over the central and western interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers but widespread in the west. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northerly to north easterly, reaching fresh in places in the afternoon.

The expected UVB Sunburn Index is Moderate

Forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service.