Weather update: High temperatures with more storms on Saturday

South African should expect very hot to extremely hot weather in the western interior of the country, but warm to hot weather with scattered thundershowers in the central and eastern regions on Saturday, according to the SA Weather Service.

The service issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with strong damaging winds, and heavy downpours, leading to localised damage and flooding of roads, settlements, low-lying areas and bridges over the northern and eastern parts of the Eastern Cape, western parts of KwaZulu-Natal, and the south-eastern parts of Mpumalanga.

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

Tomorrow’s forecast: Sat, 23 Dec '23

Very hot to extremely hot in place in the western interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers over the central and eastern parts, except for the north-eas.#SAWS#WeatherUpdate pic.twitter.com/bTUYK1uXdD

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) December 22, 2023

Saturday’s weather forecast

Gauteng:

Partly cloudy and warm with isolated thundershowers. It will be hot in the north.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme 2.

Mpumalanga:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers from the afternoon.

Limpopo:

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

North West Province:

Partly cloudy and hot to very hot, with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers over the extreme south and the east.

Free State:

Partly cloudy, windy and warm to hot with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers.

Northern Cape:

Cloudy along the coast at first, otherwise partly cloudy, windy and very hot to extremely hot, with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the extreme the east.

The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong southerly.

Western Cape:

Cloudy along the coastal areas with light rain along the south coast at first otherwise partly cloudy and warm. It will clear in the west becoming fine and warm.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly becoming strong south-westerly along the west coast from the afternoon.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme 8.

Western half of the Eastern Cape:

Partly cloudy in places along the coast, otherwise fine and warm to hot, but very hot in places in the north.

It will become cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers in the afternoon but scattered in the north.

Light rain also expected along the coast and adjacent interior. The wind along the coast will be Strong south westerly in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape:

Partly cloudy in places along the coast, otherwise fine and warm to hot. It will become cloudy in the afternoon with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in places in the north-east.

The wind along the coast will be Moderate to fresh south westerly.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Fine and warm, but hot in places in the east becoming cloudy in the afternoon with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the west.

The wind along the coast will be Moderate to fresh northeasterly, becoming moderate south-westerly in the south in the afternoon.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High