Today’s Weather Alert: Severe Storms and Lightning to Hit Parts of SA

South Africa braces for severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, heavy downpours, and excessive lightning on Monday, 31 March 2025.

Severe Weather Expected Across the Country

In today’s weather, South Africans should prepare for extreme weather conditions today, Monday, 31 March 2025, as the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Yellow Level 2 Warning for severe thunderstorms. The weather warning includes damaging winds, heavy rainfall, hail, and excessive lightning, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Several other provinces, including Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, and Free State, will also experience thundershowers and cloudy conditions.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of today’s weather forecast and interesting facts about each province:

🌩 Gauteng: Scattered Thunderstorms and High UVB Levels

• Weather: Partly cloudy and cool in the morning, becoming cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers later in the day.
• UVB Index: High – Residents should apply sunscreen if outdoors.
• Interesting Fact: Despite being South Africa’s smallest province (18,178 km²), Gauteng is the most populous, with over 16 million people. It is also South Africa’s economic hub, home to Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.

⛈ Mpumalanga: Foggy Mornings and Isolated Showers

• Weather: Cloudy in the east with morning fog, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered thundershowers.
• Interesting Fact: Mpumalanga is home to the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world and a huge natural feature of South Africa.

⛈ Limpopo: Warm to Hot Conditions with Thunderstorms

• Weather: Cloudy with morning fog along the escarpment. Expect partly cloudy and warm to hot conditions with isolated showers and thundershowers, except over the Lowveld.
• Interesting Fact: Limpopo is famous for its rich cultural heritage, including ancient sites like Mapungubwe, which was a thriving African kingdom in the 11th century. It is also known for the Baobab tree, one of the world’s oldest and most unique trees.

🌦 North West: Warm with Scattered Showers

• Weather: Partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers, more frequent over the eastern and southern regions.
• Interesting Fact: The North West province is home to the Sun City resort, a luxury casino and hotel complex, and the adjacent Pilanesberg National Park, offering a unique blend of entertainment and wildlife experiences.

⛈ Free State: Cloudy Start with Thundershowers Later

• Weather: Cloudy with morning fog patches in the east, otherwise partly cloudy and warm, with scattered showers and thundershowers.
• Interesting Fact: Bloemfontein, the provincial capital, is known as “The City of Roses” due to its annual Mangaung Rose Festival and the thousands of rose bushes planted across the city.

🔥 Northern Cape: Extreme Fire Danger Warning

• Weather: Fog in the west, otherwise partly cloudy, windy, and warm to hot, but cooler along the coast. Scattered showers and thundershowers will develop in the central and eastern parts from the afternoon.
• Fire Danger Warning: Extremely high fire danger is expected in the central parts of the province.
• Interesting Fact: The Northern Cape is South Africa’s largest province, covering 372,889 km²—bigger than Germany! It is also home to Sutherland, known for having some of the world’s clearest night skies, making it a prime location for astronomy and star-gazing.

🌧 Western Cape: Light Rain Along the Coast

• Weather: Misty in places over the eastern interior in the morning, partly cloudy and cool to warm inland, but cloudy along the coast with light rain in the south and southwest.
• Wind: Strong southerly to south-easterly winds expected in the west and southwest coastal areas.
• UVB Index: High
• Interesting Fact: The Western Cape is home to Table Mountain, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, and Cape Winelands, which produces some of the world’s finest wines.

🌦 Eastern Cape: Cloudy Mornings with Thundershowers Later

• Weather:
  • Western half: Cloudy with isolated morning rain, becoming partly cloudy and warm later, with isolated afternoon thundershowers.
  • Eastern half: Cloudy with isolated morning rain, then fine and warm, later becoming partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms over the northern interior.
• Interesting Fact: The Eastern Cape is the birthplace of Nelson Mandela and home to Addo Elephant National Park, famous for its Big Seven (adding the Southern Right Whale and Great White Shark to the traditional Big Five).

⛈ KwaZulu-Natal: Severe Thunderstorms Expected

• Weather: Cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers, particularly in the north, where severe storms are expected.
• Wind: Moderate southerly to south-easterly winds, becoming northeasterly in the afternoon.
• UVB Index: High
• Severe Weather Warning: A Yellow Level 2 warning has been issued for thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail, and excessive lightning, which could lead to localized flooding.
• Interesting Fact: KwaZulu-Natal has South Africa’s warmest coastline due to the Agulhas Current, making it a year-round tourist destination. It is also home to the Drakensberg Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

⚠️ Weather Alerts and Warnings

🌩 Impact-Based Warnings

• Yellow Level 2 Warning for severe thunderstorms in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal, with risks of:
  • Damaging winds
  • Heavy downpours leading to localized flooding
  • Excessive lightning and hail

🔥 Fire Danger Warnings

• Extremely high fire danger conditions expected in the central Northern Cape.

☀️ UVB Sunburn Index

• High in Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal – residents should take precautions against sunburn.

🔔 Stay Safe and Informed

Residents in affected areas should:
✅ Stay indoors during thunderstorms.
✅ Avoid low-lying areas prone to flooding.
✅ Secure outdoor objects to prevent wind damage.
✅ Follow SAWS updates for real-time weather alerts.

Also read: Today’s Weather Forecast – 31 March 2025