Weather update: High temperatures and thunderstorms expected on Friday

Much of South Africa will see warm to hot weather on Friday, while thundershowers are also predicted – especially in the North West.

Weather warnings

In its regional forecast, the SA Weather Service issued a yellow level 1 warning for severe thunderstorms resulting in heavy downpours, excessive lightning, damaging winds and large amounts of small hail over the eastern North West Province.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over most parts of Northern Cape, Central Karoo and Langeberg municipalities of Western Cape, north-western parts of Free State and in places over Dr Beyers Naude, and Walter Sisulu Local Municipalities of the Eastern Cape.

Advisories

There are no advisories this time.

Provincial weather forecast

Gauteng:

Cloudy at first, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated evening showers and thundershowers.

The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

Mpumalanga:

Cloudy in the morning with fog patches over the southern and eastern Highveld and early morning drizzle along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated thundershowers over the western Highveld in the evening.

Limpopo:

Cloudy in the morning with drizzle and fog patches along the escarpment and isolated to scattered morning showers in the Lowveld, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm but hot in the south-western Bushveld where isolated evening thundershowers are expected.

North West Province:

Cloudy in the east at first, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot. Isolated afternoon thundershowers expected over the central and the eastern parts.

Free State:

Cloudy in the east at first where it will be warm, otherwise partly cloudy and hot. Isolated afternoon thundershowers expected in the north-eastern parts.

Northern Cape:

Fine and warm to hot but cool along the coast. It will be very hot in the north. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly.

Western Cape:

Partly cloudy in places in the morning, otherwise fine and warm to hot but very hot in places over the interior.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to south-easterly becoming light to moderate westerly to south-westerly from the afternoon reaching fresh to strong in places.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Fine and hot, but very hot over the interior. The wind along the coast will be moderate north-easterly.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Fine and warm to hot. The wind along the coast will be moderate north-easterly.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Morning fog in places over the interior and along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm but hot in places in the north-west.

The wind along the coast will be light southeasterly in the extreme north in the morning, otherwise fresh to strong north-easterly.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very high.