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The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms, with strong winds, heavy downpours and flooding in the Blue Crane Route and Makana LMs, Buffalo City Metro and Amathole DM of the Eastern Cape on Thursday.
According to the weather service, damaging winds will disrupt harbours and ports between Port Alfred and Port Edward in the Eastern Cape.
Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Northern Cape, Central Karoo of the Western Cape, parts of the North West, western parts of Mpumalanga, parts of the Western Bushveld of Limpopo, and the eastern and south eastern parts of the Free State.
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A heatwave is expected over Sarah Baartman DM, Chris Hani DM, Amathole DM, OR Tambo DM and Mbizana LM in the Eastern Cape, and the Khai-Ma LM in the Northern Cape and the Central and Little Karoo in the Western Cape until Friday, as well as Thembelihle, Kai !Garib, Dawid Kruiper, !Kheis, Renosterberg, Emthanjeni and UmsobomvuLMs of the Northern Cape and Letsemeng, Kopanong LMs in the Free State today until Sunday.
Gauteng: Fine and warm but hot in the north. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.
Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy in the east with morning fog along the escarpment, otherwise fine and warm but hot in the Lowveld.
Limpopo: Partly cloudy in the east at first, otherwise fine and warm to hot.
North West: Fine and hot.
Free State: Fine and warm to hot.
Northern Cape: Fine and hot to very hot, but extremely hot in the central parts, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon. It will be warm in the west.
The wind along the coast will be light to moderate southerly to south-easterly.
Western Cape: Partly cloudy to fine over the western parts where it will be cool to warm, otherwise cloudy and warm but to very hot and extremely hot over the eastern interior.
The wind along the coast will be light to moderate becoming fresh south of Saldanha Bay northerly to north-westerly, but easterly along the south coast where it will become south-westerly from the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: High.
Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and warm along the coast, otherwise partly cloudy and very hot to extremely hot with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the east.
The wind along the coast will be light to moderate south-easterly at times in the morning, otherwise north-easterly, reaching strong in the afternoon. It will become strong westerly from the evening.
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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy along the coast in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the west.
The wind along the coast will be Moderate to fresh north-easterly, becoming strong from the afternoon.
KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog patches, otherwise fine and hot. The wind along the coast will be Gentle to moderate easterly to north-easterly, becoming fresh south of Port Shepstone in the afternoon.
The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.
