Weather alert: Heavy rain, thunderstorms, and possible flooding in four provinces

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has released its latest weather forecast for Friday, 21 February 2025.

Saws has issued an orange level 4 warning for severe rainfall, with localised flooding expected in parts of the Northern Cape, North West, Free State, and Eastern Cape. Here’s what you need to know.

Weather update for Thursday and Friday, 20-21 February 2025:
Scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers in most parts of RSA, but isolated showers in places. ⚠️Disruptive rainfall🌧 and Severe thunderstorms⛈
#saws #weatheroutlook #southafricanweather pic.twitter.com/hXGaA3Zqqq

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) February 20, 2025

Weather warnings, Friday, 21 February

Impact-based warnings

The weather service has issued a orange level 4 warning for disruptive rain, which is expected over the east-central and southeastern parts of the Northern Cape and could flood roads, bridges, and settlements, damage property and infrastructure, and cause danger to life due to fast-flowing streams.

Disruptive rain leads to localised flooding of susceptible bridges, roads and settlements, and damage to property and infrastructure is expected over the central and extreme northeastern parts of the Northern Cape, western parts of both the North West and Free State, northeastern parts of the Western Cape, as well as the western parts of the Eastern Cape. A yellow level 2 warning was issued.

ALSO READ: Tshwane roads closed due to heavy rains and flooding: Here are the affected areas

Provincial weather forecast

Here’s what to expect in your province on Friday, 21 February:

Gauteng:

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

Mpumalanga:

Mpumalanga residents can expect morning fog patches over the escarpment; otherwise, it will be cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Limpopo:

The day will start with morning fog patches over the escarpment; otherwise, it will be cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.

North West:

Morning fog patches await North West residents over the escarpment; otherwise, it will be cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Free State:

Residents of the Free State will experience cloudy and cool to warm weather, with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in the west.

Northern Cape:

The day will start with morning and evening fog patches along the coast and adjacent interior; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and cool to warm but cloudy in the east with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in the extreme east. It will be hot in places in the east.

Western Cape:

Western Cape residents can expect clouds with fog patches along the west and south-west coast in the morning; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and warm but cloudy with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers over the north-eastern parts from the afternoon.

Eastern Cape (western half):

It will be warm to hot in places at first, otherwise cloudy and cool with widespread showers and thundershowers.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

The day will be warm along the coast and adjacent interior; otherwise, it will be partly cloudy to cloudy and cool with scattered showers and thundershowers from the north and west.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Residents of KwaZulu-Natal can look forward to morning fog in places over the interior, otherwise cloudy to partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the Midlands, but scattered in the extreme north-east and south-west.