Heatwave to hit parts of Western Cape on Wednesday

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of a heatwave which is expected over Sarah Baartman and Amathole District Municipalities, Inxuba Yethemba and King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipalities of the Eastern Cape, the Central and Little Karoo Districts Municipalities of the Western Cape, until Thursday, also in the south-eastern parts of the Northern Cape until Sunday.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are also expected in places over the Northern Cape, Dr Beyers Naude local municipality in the Eastern Cape, as well as the Central and Little Karoo, Cape Winelands, and northern part of the West Coast district in the Western Cape.

“When temperature is extremely high, human’s ability to cool their bodies through sweating is reduced. This can be a real threat that leads to hyperthermia. People and animals can get heat exhaustion, heat stroke, faintness, dry skin and dehydration,” warned the weather service on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Fine and warm but hot in the north. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Mpumalanga: Fine and warm to hot, but partly cloudy in the Lowveld and escarpment areas.

Limpopo: Fine and warm to hot.

North West: Fine and hot to very hot.

Free State: Fine and hot to very hot.

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Northern Cape: Cool along the coast where it will be cloudy in the morning with fog patches, otherwise fine and hot to very hot, becoming partly cloudy in the west. It will be extremely hot in places in the north-west. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to southeasterly.

Western Cape: Cloudy along the south coast in the morning with mist patches, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot, but warm along the coastal areas. It will be extremely hot and uncomfortable in places over the eastern interior. The wind along the coast will be moderate easterly along the south coast in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Fine and hot to very hot, becoming partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms in the north. It will be cool along the coast with morning fog. The wind along the coast will be light easterly, becoming moderate to fresh south-easterly in the afternoon.

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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Fine and warm to hot with isolated thunderstorms over the interior, spreading to the Wild Coast, north of Butterworth. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate north-easterly, becoming fresh in the afternoon.

KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog over the interior, otherwise fine and hot to very hot. The wind along the coast will be gentle to moderate easterly to north-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme