Level 2 warning: Heavy rain, severe thunderstorms to hit parts of Free State

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours, damaging winds and excessive lightning in two provinces on Tuesday.

Residents in the western areas of North West and Free State provinces should watch out for localised flooding of susceptible informal settlements and low-lying roads/areas, while motorists have been warned be careful on the roads.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Khai-Ma municipality in the Northern Cape.

“Conditions are such that the FDI index is above 75. Under these conditions, fires may develop and spread rapidly, resulting in damage to property and possible loss of human or animal life,” warned the weather service.

Tuesday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers. The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

Mpumalanga: Cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered on the Highveld.

Limpopo: Cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the south.

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North West: Cloudy becoming partly cloudy and warm, with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Free State: Cloudy becoming partly cloudy and cool to warm, with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Northern Cape: Very hot in the north, otherwise partly and warm to hot with isolated but scattered thundershowers in the north east. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly.

Western Cape: Cloudy with fog along the west coast in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy to fine and warm to hot.

The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northerly to north-westerly north of Table Bay becoming south-westerly from the afternoon and reaching fresh to strong between Saldanha Bay and Table Bay towards the evening, otherwise strong to gale force easterly to south-easterly and moderating towards the end of the period over the south coast. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy at first with light rain in places along the coast, otherwise partly cloudy warm with isolated showers and thundershowers over interior but scattered in the north. The wind along the coast will be Moderate to fresh north easterly.

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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy with in places south of escarpment with light rain and mist in morning, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the north. The wind along the coast will be Moderate to fresh easterly.

KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog patches, otherwise cloudy and cool but warm in places in the north with scattered showers and thundershowers. The wind along the coast will be Moderate to fresh easterly to north-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High.

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