Severe thunderstorm, hail warning issued for Tuesday

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a watch for severe thunderstorms across several provinces from Tuesday at 11am.

Expected thunderstorms could result in possible hail – leading to vehicle damage – damaging winds and heavy downpours that could result in localised flooding as well as injuries due to flying debris.

The weather patterns could be expected over the extreme east of North West, northeastern Free State, Gauteng, southern highveld of Mpumalanga as well as northern and northwestern parts of KwaZulu-Natal from 11am on Tuesday to 11pm on Friday.

Regionally, the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Merafong City, Mogale City and Emfuleni could experience hail and strong winds, resulting in localised damage to infrastructure, settlements, property, vehicles and livestock.  Disruption to traffic due to poor visibility could also be expected, especially during the peak hours.

Home insurers all saw an increase in claims for damage caused by the storms over the northern parts of the country at the end of October, and warned that homeowners should take precautions now that the summer storm season had arrived.

Insurer Dialdirect has offered these tips to stay safe in adverse weather conditions:

• Check structures around your house for weak spots, clear debris from gutters, fasten items that could become deadly projectiles and cut away dead trees and branches.
• Heavy rains are often associated with lightning. Install surge protection plugs and/or unplug appliances before the storm arrives.
• If you are in an area prone to heavy hail, make sure that the structures around your home can handle the extra weight and that you are equipped to clear any build-up of hail. Reinforce structures where necessary.

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