A cold and wet weekend is expected across South Africa, with the South African Weather Service issuing an Orange Level 6 warning for severe thunderstorms in the Northern Cape, North West, and Free State. The warning is in effect for today and tomorrow, with widespread rainfall of 40-90mm expected, according to the South African Weather Service.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
The severe thunderstorm warning is due to a significant upper-air system that will drive the prevailing weather conditions, resulting in notable impacts, including localised flooding and disruptions to normal activities over the western parts of both the Free State and the North West.
The weather pattern will continue over the north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape on Friday, May 1, and is expected to lead to damage to infrastructure, settlements, property, vehicles, and livestock. A Yellow Level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms has also been issued over parts of the country, with a Yellow Level 1 warning of damaging winds in the northern areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
Affected Areas
The following areas are expected to be affected by the severe thunderstorms:
- Northern Cape
- North West
- Free State
- KwaZulu-Natal
A cold front is also expected to move along the south-west coast of the Western Cape on Friday and Saturday, resulting in near gale-force to gale-force north-westerly winds together with high swells between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas from Friday morning until Saturday evening.
For more information on the weather forecast, visit the South African Weather Service Wikipedia page for updates on the latest weather conditions.
