Weather alert: Heavy downpours, severe thunderstorms and damaging winds forecast

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has released its latest weather forecast for Friday, 14 March 2025.

Saws warns of disruptive rain and flooding in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, with mudslides expected.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy downpours are also expected in parts of the Northern Cape and Limpopo. Here’s what you need to know.

Weather warnings, Friday, 14 March

Impact-based warnings

The weather service has issued an orange level 6 warning for disruptive rain with heavy downpours leading to flooding of roads and settlements, damage to infrastructure and mudslides along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, except on the north coast.

A yellow level 2 warning has also been issued for disruptive rain with heavy downpours, leading to localised flooding of roads and settlements over most parts of KwaZulu-Natal as well as along the Wild Coast and its adjacent interior in the Eastern Cape. Damage to infrastructure and mudslides are expected.

A yellow level 2 warning has been issued for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours, localised flooding, strong damaging winds, excessive lightning and small hail over the central and south-eastern parts of Northern Cape and south-western and southern parts of Limpopo.

Yellow level 2 and 4 warnings have been issued for wind and waves leading to difficulty in navigation at sea between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay and between Plettenberg Bay and Mazeppa Bay in the Western Cape.

Fire danger warnings

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the interior of the West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape.

ALSO READ: Level 6 weather warning issued for parts of KZN: Which areas are at risk of flooding?

Provincial weather forecast

Here’s what to expect in your province on Friday, 14 March:

Gauteng:

Residents of Gauteng can expect partly cloudy and cool to warm weather, with isolated showers and thundershowers.

The region’s expected UVB sunburn index is “high.”

Residents should take the necessary precautions against prolonged sun exposure.

Mpumalanga:

Mpumalanga residents can expect to wake up to morning fog along the escarpment, otherwise it will be cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but partly cloudy in the west.

Limpopo:

The day will start off with morning fog along the escarpment, otherwise it will be partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers. It will be cloudy in the east.

North West:

Partly cloudy and warm weather awaits North West residents with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the east.

Free State:

Residents of the Free State will experience morning fog patches in the east, otherwise it will be partly cloudy and cool to warm with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the east.

Northern Cape:

The day will be partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers except in the west, where it will be very hot in places. It will be windy in places in the central and eastern parts.

Western Cape:

Western Cape residents can expect cloudy weather over the southern and eastern parts in the morning with isolated showers and rain along the coast and adjacent interior, otherwise it will be partly cloudy and warm with isolated to scattered thundershowers over the central and eastern interior from the afternoon. It will be fine and hot to very hot in places in the west, but cloudy along the west coast in the evening with fog patches.

The region’s expected UVB sunburn index is “very high.”

Residents should take the necessary precautions against prolonged sun exposure.

Eastern Cape (western half):

It will be cloudy and cool with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the extreme east as well as along the east coast.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

The day will be cloudy and cold to cool with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread along the Wild Coast.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Residents of KwaZulu-Natal can expect cloudy and cold to cool weather conditions with widespread showers and thundershowers but scattered in the north-western parts. It will be warm in the north-east.