Level 6 warning: Disruptive rain, severe thunderstorms expected in six provinces

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of severe weather for the next three days amid the arrival of a cut-off low pressure system.

The system is set to affect the southern, central, and eastern provinces from Sunday until Tuesday.

While some areas in the summer rainfall region recently experienced their first Spring thunderstorms, much of South Africa experienced calm weather conditions over the last few days.

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This is set to change with the cut-off low pressure system, notorious for severe weather during the Spring months, including heavy rainfall that can lead to flooding, intense thunderstorms accompanied by hail and damaging winds, warned the weather service on Saturday.

This system is expected to result in widespread and disruptive rainfall along the coastal regions and adjacent areas of the Eastern Cape and the southern and central coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

Isolated severe thunderstorms are also possible in areas such as the Free State, Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga, and parts of KwaZulu-Natal during this period.

“The cut-off low will develop over the south-western parts of the country on Sunday, while a stationary surface high-pressure system will bring moisture to the southern and south-eastern regions,” warned the weather service.

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“These systems will lead to widespread rainfall over parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal mainly from Sunday to Tuesday.”

Weather warnings

• Orange level 5 warning: Disruptive rain is expected along the coast and adjacent interior between East London and Port Edward on Saturday.
• Orange level 6 warning: Disruptive rain is expected along the coast and adjacent interior between Port Alfred and Mtunzini from Sunday into Monday.
• Yellow level 4 warning: Disruptive rain is expected in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Kouga, Sundays River Valley, Makana and Mdlambe Local Municipality as well Ngqushwa from Sunday into Monday and likely to persist until Tuesday.
• Yellow level 4 warning: Severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours, large amounts of small hail and damaging winds are expected over most parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the extreme eastern Free State and extreme southern Highveld of Mpumalanga from Sunday into Monday.
• Yellow level 2 warning: Severe storms with heavy downpours, large amounts of small hail and strong damaging winds are expected over the eastern parts of both North West and the Free State, Gauteng, the Mpumalanga Highveld and extreme northeast of KwaZulu-Natal and the extreme south-west of Limpopo on Sunday into Monday.
• Yellow level 2 warning: Disruptive rain is expected south of escarpment of the eastern parts of the Eastern Cape from Sunday into Monday.
  

Some parts of the country will experience warm to hot temperatures during this period, however, cool to cold conditions can be anticipated in parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and southern KwaZulu-Natal due to extensive cloud cover and rainfall, said the weather service.

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“Calm weather conditions are expected to return on Wednesday as the cut-off low moves eastward, away from the south-eastern coast.”