SA Weather Alert—Since Sunday, South Africa has been gripped by severe weather, with widespread thunderstorms wreaking havoc across multiple regions. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued additional warnings as adverse conditions continue to pose risks, including disruptions, flooding, and damage.
Sun City in the North West province was among the hardest-hit areas, with uprooted trees causing significant damage to vehicles. The SA Weather forecast predicts more disruptive rainfall, hail, and strong winds for several regions on Tuesday.
SA Weather Warnings
Orange Level 5 Warning
Severe rainfall is expected over Zululand and the uMkhanyakude Districts of KwaZulu-Natal. Residents should prepare for flooding of roads and settlements (formal and informal), fast-flowing streams that could endanger lives, property damage, and the loss of livestock and livelihoods.
Yellow Level 4 Warning
This warning applies to northern KwaZulu-Natal and the Highveld of Mpumalanga, where disruptive rain could flood roads and settlements, causing damage to infrastructure.
Another Yellow Level 4 Warning highlights the risk of severe thunderstorms across Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Heavy downpours, damaging winds, and large amounts of hail could displace communities and harm both formal and informal structures.
Yellow Level 2 Warning
Localized flooding and infrastructure damage are expected in:
- Extreme eastern parts of the North West
- Eastern Free State
- South-western Western Bushveld of Limpopo
- Gauteng
Fire Risks
Extremely high fire danger conditions are forecasted for the eastern parts of the Northern Cape.
Regional Forecasts for Today’s Weather
Here’s a breakdown of today’s weather conditions across provinces:
Gauteng
Warm in the north, otherwise cloudy and cool, with widespread showers and thundershowers.
Mpumalanga
Cloudy and cool to warm, with widespread showers and thundershowers; however, conditions will be isolated to scattered in the eastern Highveld and Lowveld.
Limpopo
Cloudy and warm to hot, with scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers. The Lowveld will see partly cloudy conditions with isolated rainfall.
North West
Cloudy and cool to warm, with scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers. The western parts will remain partly cloudy and hot, with isolated thunderstorms.
Free State
Cloudy in the east with scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers. Elsewhere, conditions will be partly cloudy and cool to warm, with isolated thundershowers, except in the extreme west.
Northern Cape
Partly cloudy in central and eastern regions, otherwise fine and warm to hot. Coastal areas will remain cool, with moderate to fresh southerly winds.
Western Cape
The north will see fine weather, while the south is partly cloudy and warm to hot, with cooler conditions along the coast. Coastal winds will be moderate to fresh from the south-west to the south.
Eastern Cape
- Western half: Cloudy with fog in the south at first, becoming partly cloudy and warm, with light rain in the east.
- Eastern half: Morning fog will give way to cloudy and warm conditions with scattered showers and thundershowers, though rain will remain isolated in the extreme west.
KwaZulu-Natal
Expect warm conditions in the northeast, while other areas will remain cloudy and cool. Widespread showers and thundershowers are forecast, with scattered rain in the south. Morning fog will blanket the interior. Coastal winds will range from light to fresh, depending on the region.
Also read: Today’s Weather Forecast – 07 January 2025
