Weather update: High temperatures with chance of thundershowers on Saturday

South Africans should expect partly cloudy weather on Saturday with thundershowers forecasted in four provinces.

Also, hot to very hot weather is predicted as the heatwave continues in the western parts of the country and is now predicted to last until Sunday in some places.

Weather warnings

In its regional forecast, the SA Weather Service issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms over the southern Namakwa District in the Northern Cape, the Witzenberg Municipality and Central Karoo in the Western Cape resulting in large amounts of small hail and excessive lightening, as well over the central parts of Mpumalanga and the escarpment in KwaZulu-Natal, resulting in large amounts of small hail and heavy downpours.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Khai-Ma local municipality in the Northern Cape and Beaufort West local municipality in the Western Cape.

Advisories

Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected in places over the Western Cape until Friday, but persisting over the interior on Saturday.

A heatwave with persistently high temperatures is expected in places over Namakwa District in the Northern Cape, West Coast, Cape Winelands, Central and Little Karoo in the Western Cape until Saturday, but will persist over Sarah Baartman and Chris Hani Districts, Raymond Mhlaba and Amahlathi local municipality until Sunday.

Provincial weather forecast

Gauteng:

Fine and warm, becoming partly cloudy with isolated late afternoon showers and thundershowers.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Mpumalanga:

Morning fog patches over the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers excluding the Lowveld where it will be hot in the afternoon.

Limpopo:

Morning fog patches in the southern escapement, otherwise partly cloudy and warm.

Isolated showers and thundershowers can be expected over southern parts in the afternoon.

North West Province:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers except the northern parts.

Free State:

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

Northern Cape:

Cloudy and cool with fog along the coast and adjacent interior in the morning and evening, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot with isolated showers and thundershowers except in the north-east.

The wind along the coast will be light and variable, but southerly to south-westerly in the afternoon.

Western Cape:

Cloudy with fog patches along the coast and adjacent interior in the morning and evening where it will be warm in places, otherwise partly cloudy and hot with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers from the afternoon, except over the extreme western parts.

It will be very hot in places over the interior. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate westerly to north-westerly north of Cape Columbine, otherwise fresh to strong southerly to south-westerly, but light and variable along the south coast in the morning, where it will become easterly to north-easterly from the evening.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Eastern Cape (western half):

Cloudy with fog patches in places in the south at first, otherwise partly cloudy and hot to very hot with isolated showers and thundershowers over the interior.

It will be warm in places in the north. The wind along the coast will be light westerly in places west of Cape St Francis at first, otherwise light to moderate north-easterly.

Eastern Cape (eastern half):

Cloudy with morning fog in places south of the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and hot with scattered showers and thundershowers, but isolated in places along the coast.

The wind along the coast will be fresh northeasterly.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Morning fog over the southern interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm but hot in places in the north.

It will become cloudy in the afternoon with scattered showers and thundershowers in the west, otherwise isolated except in the extreme north-east.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to north-easterly but strong in places south of Richards Bay.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High.