Heavy rain, cooler daytime temperatures expected in most parts of SA from Wednesday

A cut-off low pressure system is expected to develop over the western interior on Wednesday, moving into the central interior where it will become quasi-stationary from Thursday until Saturday before dissipating on Sunday.

According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), cut-off lows are notorious for causing severe weather such as heavy rainfall and flooding in the country.

“Due to the slow-moving nature of this cut-off low, persistent rainfall for several days may result in widespread flooding over the central, southern, and eastern parts of the country,” warned the weather service.

Rainfall is expected to slowly spread eastwards from Tuesday, with heavier showers and thundershowers possible over the interior of the Eastern Cape during the afternoon and evening.

The weather service has issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms in the province.

“Once the cut-off low develops on Wednesday evening, rainfall should become widespread, with the possibility of heavy falls in places, over most of the country, excluding the Western Cape and the western parts of the Northern Cape,” said the weather service.

Isolated severe thunderstorms may also develop over the central and southern interior.

“Due to the extensive cloud cover associated with this system, cooler daytime temperatures can also be expected over much of South Africa.”

Tuesday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Fine becoming partly cloudy and warm with isolated afternoon thundershowers. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy in the west, otherwise cloudy and warm with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers.

Limpopo: Partly cloudy in the west, where it will be hot, otherwise cloudy and warm with isolated thundershowers in the south and east.

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North West: Cloudy and warm to hot weather, with scattered thundershowers but isolated in the east.

Free State: Partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the west where it will be cloudy.

Northern Cape: Morning fog along the coast where it will be cool, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the extreme west but cloudy with scattered thundershowers in the central and eastern parts.

The wind along the coast will be light south-westerly becoming fresh to strong southerly to south-easterly from the afternoon.

Western Cape: Partly cloudy in the west, otherwise cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered and thundershowers. Fog can be expected along the west coast in the morning.

The wind along the coast will be light to moderate westerly to south-westerly in the eastern parts of the south coast otherwise fresh to strong southerly to south-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cool to warm weather with scattered thundershowers but widespread over the interior. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northerly east of Cape St Francis early morning, otherwise moderate to fresh south-westerly.

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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy in the east in the morning, otherwise cloudy and cool to
warm with widespread showers and thundershowers, but scattered along the coast and adjacent interior.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-easterly, becoming south-westerly from late morning.

KwaZulu-Natal: Partly cloudy and warm weather, with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the south. The wind along the coast will be moderate north-easterly, becoming fresh south-westerly in the extreme south overnight. The expected UVB sunburn index: High.