Weather service warns of ‘extremely uncomfortable’ conditions in Limpopo

POLOKWANE – Hot and humid weather will lead to extremely uncomfortable conditions in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga tomorrow, warns the South African Weather Service.

The advisory was issued for Thursday (October 6) over the lowveld of Limpopo as the province grapples with heatwave conditions.

Read more: Heatwave advisory leads to high temperatures in Polokwane

Temperatures have been in the mid to high 30’s since Monday with no sign of relief any time soon.

What is the cause of the heatwave?

In a media release, the South African Weather Service said a spell of dry, cloud-free weather over the past few days has allowed maximum levels of sunshine to arrive over the interior of the country, with temperatures becoming incrementally higher every day.

In addition, a very large upper-air high pressure system has dominated the weather pattern over the southern African subcontinent in the past week and has blocked the arrival of
tropically sourced moisture which has delated the onset of summer rains.

The SA Weather Service’s Kevin Rae said upper-air highs are well-known to be associated with large-scale air stability and sinking air masses.

“These systems inhibit thunderstorm development, but perhaps more importantly in this case, the sinking air heats up quite dramatically,” a statement read.

The weather service said heatwave conditions are expected to continue over the eastern part of the country until Friday (October 7) with no signs of rain any time soon.

Temperatures in Limpopo’s capital, Polokwane, will remain in the low 30’s for the rest of the week and into next week.

Maximum temperatures are expected to drop to 28ºC on Saturday (October 8) with partly cloudy conditions but will warm up to a balmy 33ºC with sunshine on Sunday (October 9).

The weather service has stressed the importance of hydration during a heatwave and to avoid over-exertion when exercising (sport or leisure activities).