Level 5 warning: Thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain to hit parts of Western Cape on Thursday

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued an orange level 5 warning for severe thunderstorms damaging winds, large amounts of small hail and heavy rain over the West Coast district and Witzenberg local municipalities in the Western Cape from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning.

A yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms has also been issued over the Hantam and Karoo Hoogland local municipalities in the Northern Cape, the Cape Winelands district municipality, Swartland and Cape Agulhas local municipalities in the Western Cape from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning.

Damaging winds are expected between Cape Point and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, while disruptive rain is expected on the Wild Coast and adjacent interior in the Eastern Cape.

Thursday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Fine and warm weather, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: very high.

Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy and warm but cool weather along the escarpment, becoming cloudy in the east in evening with light rain in places.

Limpopo: Partly cloudy and warm to hot weather, becoming cloudy in the evening along the escarpment with drizzle in places.

North West: Partly cloudy and warm weather, with isolated showers and thundershowers over the western parts.

Free State: Cloudy in the east with morning fog patches, otherwise partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers over the western parts and along the Lesotho border.

Northern Cape: Partly cloudy and warm to hot weather, with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered over the south-western parts.

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Northern Cape: Fine in the west in the morning with mist along the coast, otherwise partly cloudy to cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, but scattered over the central and southern parts, except over the coastal areas in the north. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong southerly to south-easterly.

Western Cape: Mist in the northern parts of the west coast at first, otherwise cloudy and cool with scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers. It will be windy over the Central Karoo.

The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh northerly north of Saldanha Bay, becoming fresh to strong southerly to south-easterly from the afternoon, otherwise strong to Gale south-easterly to easterly reaching strong Gale between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas in the morning. The expected UVB sunburn index: high.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cool with scattered showers and thundershowers, but light rain in places along the coast. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong easterly to southeasterly.

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Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cool to cold with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in places along the coast and adjacent interior. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong easterly to southeasterly.

KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog patches in the southern interior, otherwise partly cloudy to cloudy and cool, but warm in places in the north. Isolated showers and thunder are expected, but scattered in the south, The wind along the coast will be moderate easterly to south-easterly. The expected UVB sunburn index: very high.