Weather update: Warning issued for severe thunderstorms and flooding

Severe thunderstorms are expected in five provinces on Thursday while heatwave conditions continue in the Northern Cape and Western Cape.

Weather warnings

In its regional forecast, the SA Weather Service issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with possible heavy downpours, hail, damaging winds and excessive lightning, leading to localised flooding of susceptible roads, low-lying areas and bridges, localised structural damages (homes, car ports, etc), as well as disruption of services due to power surges and danger to life, over Gauteng, the eastern parts of both the North West and Free State, as well as the Highveld of Mpumalanga and the western parts of Kwazulu-Natal.

Advisories

A heatwave with persistently high temperatures over the West Coast District of the Western Cape and western parts of Namakwa District Municipality in the Northern Cape, is expected.

Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected in places over the West Coast District of the Western Cape.

Provincial weather forecast

Gauteng:

Partly cloudy and warm with afternoon scattered showers and thundershowers.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Low.

Mpumalanga:

Cloudy in the east with morning fog and drizzle along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers.

Limpopo:

Cloudy in the east with morning fog and drizzle along the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the Limpopo Valley.

North West Province:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot, with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the west.

Free State:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot, with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in the west.

Northern Cape:

Fine in the extreme west, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot but very hot to extremely hot in the south-west. Isolated thunderstorms are expected over the eastern parts from the afternoon.

The wind along the coast will be variable in the morning and evening, otherwise light to moderate southerly to south-easterly.

Western Cape:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot along the south and south-west coast and the adjacent interior, with fog patches along the west coast where it will be very hot, otherwise fine.

The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong easterly to south-easterly between Slangkop and Cape Agulhas, but moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly north of Slangkop, otherwise light and variable.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very high.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Partly cloudy and warm, but hot in the interior.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-easterly.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Partly cloudy and warm, with isolated afternoon thunderstorms.

The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong north-easterly

KwaZulu-Natal:

Morning fog patches over the interior, otherwise cloudy and cool to warm with afternoon scattered showers and thundershowers but isolated in the eastern parts.

The wind along the coast will be the wind along the coast will be easterly to north-easterly moderate to fresh becoming strong south of Durban by the evening.

The expected UVB sunburn index: High.