Weather update: Heatwave continues with fire danger on Saturday, plus thunderstorms in eastern provinces

As the heatwave gripping most of SA continues through the weekend, thunderstorms with hail are also expected in Mpumalanga, the eastern half of the Eastern Cape as well as the western parts of KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.

The SA Weather Service issued a yellow level 2 warning for these thunderstorms with hail, as well as a fire danger warning for Limpopo – except in the south-east – as well as over the Kamiesberg Municipality of the Northern Cape, where extremely high fire danger conditions are expected.

Weather outlook for the weekend:
Saturday(25/11/2023) and Sunday(26/11/2023) pic.twitter.com/UEmtehTShd

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) November 23, 2023

Heat wave conditions with persistently high temperatures are expected over Joe Gqabi municipality of the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and places over the Free State, North-West Province and north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape until Tuesday.

Saturday’s weather forecast

Gauteng:

Fine and hot to very hot becoming partly cloudy with isolated evening showers and thundershowers.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme

Mpumalanga:

Warm on the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot, with isolated to scattered afternoon showers and thundershowers, except over the extreme north-eastern parts.

It will be extremely hot in places in the Lowveld.

Limpopo:

Partly cloudy and very hot to extremely hot but hot over the central parts.

North West Province:

Cloudy in the morning becoming partly cloudy and hot to very hot, with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the east.

Free State:

Cloudy in the morning becoming partly cloudy and hot to very hot, with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Northern Cape:

Cloudy in places in the morning, otherwise fine and warm to hot, but very hot in places in the east. It will become partly cloudy in the east in the afternoon with isolated showers and thundershowers.

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

Western Cape:

Cloudy and cool along the south coast with a chance of light rain in the east at first, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot.

The wind along the coast will be light to moderate south-easterly to easterly along the south coast, otherwise moderate to fresh south-easterly becoming, strong in the afternoon.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme 8.

Western half of the Eastern Cape:

Cloudy and cool along the coast with light rain south of escarpment, otherwise, partly cloudy and warm.

The wind along the coast will be moderate south-westerly.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape:

Partly cloudy and warm with isolated thunderstorms, but cloudy with a chance of rain south of the escarpment.

The wind along the coast will be light south-easterly becoming moderate south-westerly in the afternoon.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Partly cloudy and warm but hot to very hot in the north. It will become cloudy in the afternoon with scattered showers and thundershowers but isolated in the north-east.

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

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme