Cool temperatures and damaging winds expected on the first day of Spring

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 1 warning for damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation and small vessels at risk of taking on water and capsizing are expected between Plettenberg Bay and Kei River Mouth.

The weather service also issued warnings of extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over Hantam, Karoo Hoogland and Central Karoo municipalities including Oudtshoorn, Ladysmith and Worcester areas of Western Cape.

Thursday’s weather forecast:

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Mpumalanga: Fine and cool but warm in the Lowveld. It will become partly cloudy from the south-western highveld in the afternoon.

Limpopo: Fine and cool to warm

North West: Fine at first, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm.

Free State: Fine at first, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and cool.

Northern Cape: Cool in places in the south, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers over the central parts. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong westerly becoming moderate to fresh north-westerly from the afternoon.

Western Cape: Partly cloudy and cool to warm but hot over the interior and along the south coast. It will be windy over the Central Karoo in the afternoon. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong north-easterly in the south becoming south-westerly from the afternoon, otherwise
north-westerly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Hot in the extreme south-west, otherise partly cloudy and warm, with isolated light showers and thundershowers in places. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong north-easterly, moderating from the west, becoming strong westerly west of St Francis in the evening, spreading to Algoa Bay overnight.

Eastern Cape: Fog patches south of the escarpment at first, otherwise fine and
cool to warm, with isolated light showers and thundershowers in places over the interior. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh northerly, becoming strong north-easterly from mid-morning.

KwaZulu-Natal: Partly cloudy along the north coast at first, otherwise fine and cool. It will become partly cloudy in the south in the afternoon. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate westerly to south-westerly at first, otherwise moderate to fresh northeasterly, but strong south of Durban. The expected UVB sunburn index: High

ALSO READ: SA Weather Service issues level 2 warning for damaging winds in parts of Western Cape