Weather update: Saws raises concerns of disruptive rainfall across multiple provinces

The South African Weather Service (Saws) released its latest weather forecast for Wednesday, 17 January.

The weather service has warned about disruptive rainfall, which may lead to widespread flooding in six provinces. Here’s what you need to know.

Weather warnings, 17 January

Saws has issued an orange level 5 warning for disruptive rainfall, which may lead to widespread flooding of roads and settlements, damage to mud-based houses, and displacement of communities along the coast and northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

The weather service also issued a yellow level 2 warning of disruptive rainfall leading to localised flooding of susceptible formal and informal settlements, low-lying roads, and bridges over the western and southern interior of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo (except the extreme northern parts), Gauteng, and the eastern parts of the North West and Free State provinces.

Fire danger

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Dawid Kruiper, KaiGarib and Kareeberg Local Municipalities of the Northern Cape.

Provincial weather forecast

Here’s what to expect in your province on Wednesday, 17 January

Gauteng:

Residents of Gauteng can anticipate cloudy and warm conditions, with widespread showers and thundershowers.

Mpumalanga:

Mpumalanga residents can expect cloudy to partly cloudy and cool to warm to hot weather with widespread showers and thundershowers.

Limpopo:

The day will be partly cloudy and warm with widespread showers and thundershowers scattered in the south-west.

North-West province:

A day of partly cloudy and warm to hot conditions awaits the residents of the North West province with scattered showers and thundershowers isolated over the western parts.

Free State:

Residents of the Free State can see partly cloudy and warm to hot weather with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers except over the south-western parts.

Northern Cape:

There will be fine conditions over the interior, but otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot, but very hot in the east, with isolated showers and thundershowers over the north-eastern parts.

Western Cape:

Western Cape residents can expect cloudy weather with rain along the south coast, otherwise fine to partly cloudy and warm to hot but very hot over the West Coast District.

The region’s expected UVB sunburn index is “extreme.”

Residents should take the necessary precautions against prolonged sun exposure.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Conditions are expected to be cloudy and cool with early morning isolated rain and showers along the coast and in places in the interior.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Residents can look forward to cloudy and cool conditions with scattered rain and showers, but widespread along the Wild Coast and adjacent interior.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Residents of KwaZulu-Natal can look forward to morning fog over the interior, otherwise cloudy and warm but cool in the south. Widespread showers and thundershowers are expected.