WEATHER: Severe storms with heavy rain, hail to hit SA

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 Level 2 and Level 1 warnings for severe storms that are expected to hit five provinces, including heavy rain and strong winds, this Thursday.

SEVERE WEATHER ALERTS

IMPACT-BASED WARNINGS

A. Yellow Level 2 Warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours leading to localised flooding of susceptible roads, settlements, low-lying bridges/areas, strong damaging winds, hail and excessive lightning are expected over the Highveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, the eastern parts of the Free State.

B. Yellow Level 1 Warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours leading to localised flooding of susceptible roads, settlements, low-lying bridges/areas, strong damaging winds, hail and excessive lightning are expected in the south-western parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

FIRE DANGER WARNINGS

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over most parts of the Northern Cape, in places over the western parts of the Free State and the Eastern Cape, as well as the central and north-eastern parts of the Western Cape.

ADVISORIES

NIL

Weather conditions and UVB forecast in South Africa’s provinces

Gauteng

Gauteng can expect partly cloudy and warm but hot in the extreme north with isolated afternoon showers
and thundershowers.

The expected UVB Sunburn Index is Moderate

Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga, the Place of the Rising Sun, can expect partly cloudy and cool to warm with scattered afternoon showers and thundershowers but isolated in the Lowveld

Limpopo

In Limpopo, partly cloudy and warm with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers but scattered in places in the east.

North West

North West, known as Bokone Bophirima in Setswana, can expect partly cloudy with isolated thundershowers over the central and eastern parts, otherwise fine and hot.

Free State

In Free State, fine over the western parts, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers in the east but scattered in the extreme east.

Northern Cape

The day will start fine and hot. The wind along the coast will be moderate southerly to south-easterly, becoming fresh south-westerly from the afternoon.

Western Cape

Fine and hot to very hot, but warm in places along the Cape Peninsula. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh westerly to south-westerly, but easterly to north-easterly along the south.

The expected UVB sunburn index is Very High

Eastern Cape

The Western half: Fine and hot to very hot, but warm along the coast. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate north-easterly a first, otherwise fresh south-westerly

The Eastern half: The day will start cloudy south of the escarpment in the morning with light rain in places along the Wild Coast and adjacent interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated afternoon thundershowers in the east. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-easterly, becoming south westerly overnight.

KwaZulu-Natal

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

The expected UVB Sunburn Index is High

Forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service.