Weather service issues storm surge and severe thunderstorm warnings for multiple provinces

Authorities warn of coastal flooding risks and potential infrastructure damage as severe weather systems move across South Africa.

The South African Weather Service has issued multiple weather alerts spanning coastal and inland regions, warning of storm surges, damaging winds, and severe thunderstorms across several provinces through the week¹²³.

A yellow level 2 warning for storm surge was issued for the Eastern Cape coast between Storms River and Cannon Rocks, with authorities warning of localised damage to coastal infrastructure and disruptions to beachfront activities¹³. Similar warnings extended between Plettenberg Bay and Algoa Bay, affecting coastal walkways, pipelines, and road and rail routes³. The weather service cautioned that storm surge can cause a rapid rise in sea level near the eyewall, sometimes reaching heights of more than six metres¹.

Damaging wind and wave warnings were issued for coastal areas between Cape Columbine and Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape from Saturday evening into Monday, with authorities predicting disruption to port activities and difficulty in maritime navigation¹⁷. These conditions were expected to continue until Thursday morning⁷.

Inland regions faced severe thunderstorm warnings, with a yellow level 4 alert issued for parts of Limpopo, northern Gauteng, and north-western Mpumalanga⁴⁵. The weather service warned of strong damaging winds, hail, excessive lightning, and possible heavy downpours that could lead to flooding and damage to susceptible formal and informal settlements and infrastructure⁴.

Emergency services in Tshwane and Johannesburg were placed on high alert⁵. City of Tshwane emergency services identified vulnerable areas including Centurion along the Hennops River, parts of Pretoria North and West near the Apies River, and informal settlements in Mamelodi, Nellmapius, Soshanguve, and Mabopane⁵.

Yellow level 2 warnings for severe thunderstorms were also issued for the North West, central Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal, with forecasts of localised flooding in susceptible roads, low-lying areas, and bridges³⁷. Cold, wet, and windy conditions were forecast for the Western Cape and Northern Cape¹.