Level 5 and 6 weather alerts issued for two provinces on Friday

Parts of Eastern Cape and Western Cape should prepare for severe weather conditions on Friday, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned.

“Heavy downpours and large amounts of hail can cause damage to infrastructure, vehicles. These conditions can lead to travel disruptions and can be aggravated with possible falling trees blocking major roads,” warned the weather service.

Yellow level 2 warnings

• Damaging winds are expected between Cape Point and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.
• Severe thunderstorms are expected over the Hantam and Karoo Hoogland local municipalities in the Northern Cape, the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Swartland and Cape Agulhas local municipalities in the Western Cape on Friday morning.
• Disruptive rainfall is expected on the Wild Coast and adjacent interior in the Eastern Cape

The weather service has issued an orange level 5 warning for severe thunderstorms resulting in damaging winds, large amounts of small hail and heavy downpours over the West Coast district municipality and Witzenberg Local Municipality in the Western Cape on Friday morning.

Eastern Cape Tomorrow 's Weather overview: 24/03/2023 pic.twitter.com/ix7GGKxMjm

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) March 23, 2023

An orange level 6 warning for disruptive rainfall has been issued in the Ngquzani, Nyandeni and Port St Johns areas in the Eastern Cape.

A yellow level 1 warning for damaging winds has been issued from Plettenberg Bay to Mazeppa Bay on Friday, spreading to Port Edward and persisting along the Wild Coast until Saturday.

Friday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool to warm but cloudy in the south. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

Mpumalanga: Early morning fog patches along the northern Escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers in the east.

Limpopo: Early morning fog patches along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the east, but in the evening over the extreme south-west.

North West: Partly cloudy in the west at first, otherwise cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the extreme northern parts.

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Free State: Partly cloudy in the west at first, otherwise cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers. It will be windy in the west.

Northern Cape: Partly cloudy, becoming cloudy, windy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the south. It will be misty along the coast in the morning. The wind along the coast will be light and variable.

Western Cape: Cloudy to partly cloudy in the east at first, with scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers over the western parts, otherwise fine to partly cloudy and cool to warm but cloudy in the central interior with light showers over the western southcoast, becoming cloudy in the east with evening isolate showers and thundershowers.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-westerly but strong to gale easterly along the south coast where it will become fresh south-westerly to westerly from the west by the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers. The wind along the coast will be Fresh to strong easterly to south-easterly.

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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cool to cold with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the north. The wind along the coast will be Fresh to strong easterly to north-easterly.

KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog over the interior, otherwise cloudy and warm, but cool in places in the west. Isolated showers and thundershowers are expected. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to north-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.