Heatwave to hit parts of Northern Cape from Wednesday

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned residents in the Richtersveld municipality in the Northern Cape of a heat wave with persistently high temperatures set to hit the area until Friday.

“When the temperature is extremely high, humans’ ability to cool their bodies through sweating is reduced. This can be a real threat that leads to hypothermia. If a heat wave occurs during a drought, which dries out vegetation, it can contribute to veld fires,” warned the weather service.

Wednesday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cold, but cool in the north. The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

Mpumalanga: Cloudy in the east, otherwise partly cloudy and cold, but cool in the Lowveld.

Limpopo: Cloudy with morning fog in the east, otherwise partly cloudy and cold to cool with isolated showers in the Limpopo Valley and the south-western Bushveld.

North West: Cold in the south-east, otherwise partly cloudy and cool in the east.

Free State: Fine and cold to cool.

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Northern Cape: Warm along the coast, otherwise fine and cool, but cold in the south. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh northeasterly.

Western Cape: Fine and cool, but warm in the west. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northwesterly along the south coast, otherwise moderate to fresh. The expected UVB sunburn index: Low.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Fine and cool. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northwesterly.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Fine and cool, but cold in the north. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate westerly.

KwaZulu-Natal: Fine and cool, but cold in places in the western high-ground. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northwesterly to northerly, becoming light south-westerly south of Richards Bay. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.