Weather update: Thunderstorms expected as heatwave continues until the weekend

South Africans should brace for thunderstorms, and the possibility of hail, on Friday as the latest heatwave continues until the weekend.

ALSO READ: Gauteng bad weather: Warning of more rains in the coming days

Weather warnings

In its regional forecast, the SA Weather Service issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with a possibility of strong damaging winds and large amounts of small hail are expected over south-western Free State and the south-eastern parts of Northern Cape.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the interior of the Northern Cape, the north-eastern interior of the Western Cape, the northern interior of the Eastern Cape, the central and western parts of the Free State and the south-western parts of the North West and extreme northern parts of Limpopo.

Advisories

A heatwave with persistently high temperatures is expected over the eastern parts of the Northern Cape, in places over the Free State and North West until Saturday but over the extreme northern parts of the Eastern Cape until Friday.

Provincial weather forecast

Gauteng:

Cloudy in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers.

The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

Mpumalanga:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers excluding the Lowveld but scattered over the Highveld.

Limpopo:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers in the south-west.

North West Province:

Partly cloudy and hot to very hot, with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Free State:

Fine in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the southern parts.

Northern Cape:

Fine in the southern parts until late morning, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and very hot to extremely hot, with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the south-east.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south to south-easterly becoming light towards the evening.

Western Cape:

Cloudy over the eastern parts clearing from the north from midday otherwise fine and warm to hot but very hot over the eastern interior.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly along south coast becoming light to moderate south-westerly in the late evening otherwise fresh to strong south to southeasterly becoming light to moderate south-westerly in the evening.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Cloudy in the south at first with drizzle and fog patches to the east of Cape St Francis, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot, but very hot in places over the interior. Isolated showers and thundershowers are possible in the north from late afternoon.

The wind along the coast will be light and variable at first, becoming fresh to strong easterly by late morning.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Cloudy with light rain along the coast and adjacent interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers from late afternoon.

The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong easterly, becoming north-easterly by the evening.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Cloudy with isolated morning showers and rain in the southeast, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the west.

The wind along the coast will be moderate south-westerly in the south, otherwise moderate to fresh easterly to northeasterly, spreading to Port Edward by afternoon.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High.