Weather update: Partly cloudy and hot with isolated thundershowers on Sunday

South Africans can expect hot weather with partly cloudy conditions and a chance of isolated thundershowers on Sunday, the SA Weather Service has said.

Weather warnings:

The service issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with a large amount of small hail, heavy downpours – leading to localised damage and flooding of roads, settlements, low-lying areas and bridges – over the extreme eastern parts of the Free State, KwaZulu Natal and the southern part of Mpumalanga.

A yellow level 1 warning for for the same conditions (thunderstorms, hail and flooding) was also issued for the eastern half of the Eastern Cape.

This while a yellow level 2 warning for damaging winds leading to disruption to beachfront activities and difficulty in navigation at sea was issued for places between Lambert’s Bay and Cape Agulhas including the City of Cape Town, where risk of runaway fires is possible.

On that note, extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the eastern parts of the Northern Cape, west of the North West and Matjhabeng Municipality of the free state as well as the Western Bushveld of Limpopo.

⛈️Weather outlook for tomorrow, partly cloudy and hot with scattered to isolated showers and thundershowers over the central and eastern parts, but widespread over the eastern areas of the Eastern Cape as well as over KZN.
⚠️Warning: severe thunderstorms.
#SAWS pic.twitter.com/5BREWkwvVf

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

Sunday’s weather forecast

Gauteng:

Partly cloudy and warm but hot in the north. Scattered showers and thundershowers can be expected in the afternoon.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme 2.

Mpumalanga:

Morning fog patches over the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers, but cloudy over the Lowveld where isolated showers are possible.

Limpopo:

Partly cloudy and hot to very hot with isolated showers and thundershowers south and south-east.

North West Province:

Partly cloudy, windy and hot to very hot, with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the extreme north-east.

Free State:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Northern Cape:

Morning fog along the coast and adjacent interior, otherwise fine and warm but partly cloudy, windy and hot to very hot in the east and central with isolated showers showers and thundershowers.

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

Western Cape:

Cloudy along the south coast where it will be cool in places with light rain in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy and warm, but fine in the west.

It will be hot in the west and in places over the interior. The wind along the coast will be light and variable north of Lambert’s Bay in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh south to south-easterly, but strong along the west coast from late morning, reaching near-gale force from the evening.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme

Western half of the Eastern Cape:

Cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and rain, but scattered showers and thundershowers in the north.

The wind along the coast will be light to moderate south-westerly, becoming southerly from late morning.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape:

Warm in the north, otherwise cloudy and cool with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in the east.

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

KwaZulu-Natal:

Partly cloudy and warm but hot in the north with widespread showers and thundershowers but scattered in the north-east.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-easterly, becoming southwesterly from the south by late morning, spreading northwards.

The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme