South Africa is experiencing a classic midsummer weather battle today as scorching temperatures and powerful thunderstorms compete for dominance across the country.

The South African Weather Service has issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms over parts of the central and south-eastern North West, the central and eastern Free State and the western interior of KwaZulu-Natal, where localised flooding, small hail and damaging winds are possible.

Across Gauteng it will be partly cloudy and hot, turning very hot in the south. Afternoon showers and thundershowers are expected, with a rain chance of about 30%.

Mpumalanga starts with morning fog and drizzle along the escarpment, then becomes warm to hot with isolated storms inland. Rain chances sit near 30%, while the Lowveld stays mostly dry.

Limpopo will see drizzle along the escarpment early, then warm to hot conditions with isolated showers in the south. Rain chances there are around 30%.

In the North West, the day begins fine and quickly heats up to very hot with isolated afternoon storms and a rain chance near 30%.

The Free State turns very hot ahead of partly cloudy skies later in the day. Isolated storms are likely in the west with about a 30% chance of rain, increasing to around 60% in the east where showers and thundershowers become more widespread.

The Northern Cape remains hot to very hot with extremely high fire danger in central and eastern parts. Most areas stay dry, but the far east may see isolated afternoon showers with a 30% rain chance.

Along the coast, freshening southerly to south-easterly winds are expected.

In the Western Cape, morning fog lingers along the west coast before giving way to hot interior conditions. The extreme north-east may catch an isolated storm with a 30% rain chance, while most of the province stays dry under very high UV levels.

The Western half of the Eastern Cape will be hot to very hot, becoming extremely hot in places. Isolated storms are possible with a 30% chance of rain, rising to about 60% in the northern parts.

The Eastern half sees a higher risk of showers and thundershowers with rain chances around 60%, although the far north remains more isolated near 30 percent.

KwaZulu-Natal starts with fog in parts of the north and south-east, then turns warm to hot and very hot in places. 

Isolated storms are expected across much of the province with about a 30% rain chance, increasing to around 60% in the south-west where showers and thundershowers are more likely.

With heatwave conditions persisting over large areas, stay hydrated, limit midday sun exposure and keep an eye on the sky for fast-developing storms later in the day.

IOL News

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