Level 4 yellow storm floods parts of Gauteng

It was raining cats and dogs in parts of Gauteng yesterday as the extreme storms forecast moved across parts of the province. The South African Weather Service had issued a level 4 yellow storm warning for yesterday.

Forecaster Luthando Masimini said the level 4 yellow storm alert was likely to deliver 20 to 30 centimetres of rain on the day.

“The driving mechanism of the storm is of a more tropical origin, which is a warm and moist system,” Masimini said.

“The storm is unstable because of the warm tropical air that moves quickly, and once it reaches the colder air in Gauteng, it is expected to result in a widely spread and scattered storm.”

He explained a common thunderstorm moved at 20 to 30km/h for about 300km and lasted 60 to 90 minutes. That meant a lot could change as the storm made its way from the north towards the province.

“The strength of the storm is measured with a risk matric table, where the likelihood of the storm and the impact is estimated.”

He said the higher the forecast impact of the storm, the higher the alert, regardless of the likelihood of the storm happening. On Tuesday morning, a photograph was shared on social media of a natural waterfall that had formed on top of the Magaliesberg due to the heavy rainfall.

A Pretoria-based animal shelter, Wollies, sent out an SOS for blankets and other donations after five of its kennels flooded.

“It was raining cats and dogs this morning,” shelter founder Cilla Trexler said. Animals in the kennels that flooded were fine and the kennels were cleaned out.

“We stressed when it started flooding, while the dogs thought it was Christmas. At some places, the water was knee deep.”

Trexler said one of the white dogs was completely coated in mud following the rain. “Whitey wasn’t white anymore, he was Brownie,” she joked.

“Since the start of the heavy weather, we have been bombarded with stray dogs. Thirty dogs have been brought in over the past two weeks.”

Trexler said during thunderstorms a lot of animals get frightened and somehow get out of their properties and end up on the street. Leonie van Rensburg, owner of Graffiti Books and Stationery, found her shop flooded.

“We struggled for one-and-a half hours to clean out the water from the shop. At some places it was six to 10cm deep.”

Van Rensburg said the damage wasn’t that extensive. Early yesterday, it was reported that parts of Quagga Road, before the power station in Laudium in Centurion, Johannesburg Central, Soshanguve and Fourways were left temporary flooded due to the heavy rain and poor drainage.

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