Weather service issues storm and flood warnings for seven provinces

Severe thunderstorms threaten inland areas while coastal regions face damaging waves and storm surges through early next week.

The South African Weather Service has issued yellow-level warnings for severe weather across multiple provinces, with thunderstorms expected inland and storm surges threatening coastal areas from Saturday through early next week.¹²³

A yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms covers Gauteng, Limpopo, and parts of Mpumalanga, with the weather service cautioning that storms may cause localised flooding and damage to infrastructure, settlements, property, vehicles, and livestock due to heavy downpours and strong damaging winds.²⁵ The service warned of hail and excessive lightning accompanying the storms.⁴

In Limpopo specifically, a yellow level 4 warning was issued for the eastern and south-western parts of the province, indicating severe thunderstorms with strong damaging winds, hail, excessive lightning, and possible heavy downpours leading to flooding.⁴ The central parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, southern Gauteng, western and extreme eastern parts of North West, and western and central Free State are under yellow level 2 warnings for similar conditions.⁴

KwaZulu-Natal is forecast to experience scattered showers and thundershowers that may lead to localised flooding, though the province will also see hot and humid conditions.³⁴

Along the coast, cold, wet, and windy conditions are forecast for most parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape.¹ A yellow level 2 warning for damaging wind and waves has been issued between Cape Columbine and Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape from Saturday evening into Monday, with warnings of disruption to port and small harbour activities and difficulty in navigation at sea.¹³⁵

The Eastern Cape faces a yellow level 1 warning for storm surge between Storms River and Cannon Rocks, with the weather service warning of localised damage to coastal infrastructure and disruptions to beachfront activities.¹ A separate yellow level 2 storm surge warning covers the area between Plettenberg Bay and Algoa Bay, with warnings of damage to walkways, pipelines, property, and road and rail routes, as well as localised flooding of coastal areas.³

According to the weather service, storm surge is experienced as a rapid rise of sea level near the portion of the eyewall associated with onshore winds, sometimes reaching heights of more than six metres and accompanied by very large wind-driven waves.¹ The coastal warnings are expected to remain in effect through Thursday morning.⁵