Gauteng set to remain hot and dry

The chances for rainfall in Gauteng will continue to be slim today and over the weekend, the South African Weather Service said yesterday.

Following a weekend of heavy downpours two weeks ago, rainfall has subsided. And although the situation might change, it is only likely to do so from Tuesday.

Speaking to The Citizen, forecaster Wayne Venter said there was only a small chance of thunderstorms expected in some places this weekend. Daytime temperatures are expected to be hot in the province today, with Johannesburg and Vereeniging expected to peak at highs of 32ºC while Pretoria is set to reach a scorching high of 36ºC.

“However, we expect slight cooling in temperatures on Saturday for the province,” Venter said.

In North West, residents can expect similar weather conditions this weekend. Rustenburg and Vryburg are expected to be the hottest, with highs of 34ºC and 35ºC respectively.

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In the Free State, residents can expect a small chance of showers and thundershowers over the eastern parts today and over the weekend.

Temperatures are expected to be in the warm category and slightly cooler tomorrow over the eastern parts of the province. The best chances of rainfall in the country will be in KwaZulu-Natal today and they could continue into the weekend.

“This will mainly be over the southern parts of the province, which includes areas such as Durban, Ladysmith and Newcastle, and at this stage we are giving it a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers.

“Temperatures are expected to be slightly lower on Friday and they are expected to decrease further towards the lower 20s on Saturday,” Venter said.

In the Western Cape, where some parts have been gripped by runaway veld fires amid hot weather conditions, residents can expect a small chance of rainfall along the south coast today. The rest of the province should remain dry for the entire weekend.

Temperatures are expected to range between the mid-20s to higher 20s today, but very hot conditions can still be expected over the interior, where maximums are set to peak at highs of between the high 30s and early 40s.

In Mpumalanga, warm to hot conditions are expected today with slight cooling expected tomorrow and on Sunday.

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