Weather: Flooding alerts issued for these 3 provinces on Saturday

The South African Weather Service (Saws) issued yellow level 2 alerts for heavy downpours and flooding in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Here’s what you need to know.

Weather alerts, 26 November

Thunderstorms and heavy downpours

Residents in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo are warned to brace for severe thunderstorms and heavy downpours on Saturday 26 November.

The alerts for the three provinces are in place from 12pm until 11pm on Saturday. The weather service said:

“Storms with heavy downpours leading to localised flooding and strong, damaging winds are expected [in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo]”.

Flooding in three provinces

Residents near low-lying areas and bridges should proceed with caution as susceptible roads may flood.

Prepare for “difficult driving conditions and travel delays due to wet roads and reduced visibility”, which could result in accidents on the road.

The Saws also warns of the possibility of damage to settlements, falling trees and minor structural damage to homes and carports due to damaging winds.

Other weather alerts

On Friday, Saws a yellow level 2 warning for damaging wind leading to difficulty in navigation at sea, specifically the region between Alexander Bay and Hermanus.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over northern parts of the Northern Cape while the Western Cape will be cloudy in the east with light showers along the south coast.

The wind along the coast will be light and variable east of Cape Agulhas but moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly in the afternoon, otherwise strong southerly to south-easterly.

A very wet 2023

Various parts of South Africa have in recent weeks been experiencing heavy rainfall, thanks to the La Niña weather system.

The Citizen’s Stephen Tau invited Dr Christine Engelbrecht, a seasonal forecaster at Saws, to unpack the different weather systems predicted for 2023.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE: Expect a wet 2023, with above normal rainfall