Gauteng residents warned to brace for disruptive rainfall and severe thunderstorms

Gauteng residents have been warned to brace for the possibility of disruptive rainfall and severe thunderstorms across the province for the entire day on Wednesday.

Regional weather forecaster, Gauteng Weather, shared the details of the thunderstorms in a post on X.

“Alert, the SA Weather Service has issued a warning for the possibility disruptive rainfall on Wednesday 17 January, with 80% rain probability, all day, [in the] entire Gauteng.

“Potential threats: heavy rain and localised flooding,” it said.

Saws warnings

The South African Weather Service (Saws) also issued an orange level 5 warning for disruptive rainfall, which may lead to widespread flooding of roads and settlements and displacement of communities along the coast and northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal

A yellow level 2 warning was also issued for disruptive rainfall leading to localised flooding of susceptible formal/informal settlements, low-lying roads and bridges is expected over the western and southern interior of KZN, Mpumalanga, Limpopo (except the extreme northern parts), Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North West and Free State provinces.

Traffic is likely to be impacted by the severe thunderstorms, with the Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson urging motorists to take extra precautions when driving.

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Flooding

On Tuesday, several areas in Johannesburg including Bosmont were flooded by the heavy rain.

Emergency services urged motorists were urged to exercise caution while driving in the area  and avoid crossing flooded roads and bridges.

Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs said its disaster Management teams are on high alert along the coastal areas of the province following the weather warning.

“The affected areas are the eThekwini Metro and the district’s of Ugu, Ilembe King Cetshwayo and Mkhanyakude. Disaster management teams are on alert and will be monitoring routes that are prone to weather related incidents,” it said.

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