Severe thunderstorms to bring end to KZN heatwave

WHILE heat-induced thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon and tonight (Tuesday) are set to affect only the southern parts of KZN, Zululanders can expect a reprieve from the heatwave, with temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius and rain from tomorrow.

The SA Weather Service (SAWS) earlier today issued a level 2 warning for thunderstorms that could become severe over the southern interior of the province, and could be accompanied by hail and heavy downpours.

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The warning includes the possibility of localised flooding and strong, damaging winds, as well as excessive lightning.

Flooding of settlements, low-lying roads and bridges , as well as damage to infrastructure and difficult driving conditions could be experienced in the affected region.

Meanwhile, the erratic tropical storm Cheneso, which made landfall over Madagascar late last week, is showing signs of intensifying over the Mozambique Channel.

According to the Severe Weather and Information Centre (SWAIC), the tropical disturbance re-intensified to a tropical depression last night and intensified even further to a moderate tropical storm in the early hours of this morning.

The system is expected to become a severe tropical storm by tomorrow morning (Wednesday), with fully-fledged tropical cyclone status possible over the next three days.

This means winds accompanying the system are expected to be in excess of 117km/h.

The system is not expected to make landfall to South Africa, but is set to remain over the Mozambique Channel until the end of the week while intensifying and tracking southwest to south-southeast.

This means moderate to heavy rainfall, strong winds and waves in excess of 5m are possible along the Mozambican coastline from Wednesday until Saturday.

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