Orange level 5 storm warning: South Africa weather for 23 September

The South African Weather Service has issued an orange level 5 warning for severe thunderstorms in parts of the Northern and Western Cape on Wednesday, 23 September. The warning covers the Hantam and Karoo Hoogland districts in the Northern Cape and the Central Karoo district in the Western Cape.

According to the forecast reported by The Citizen, the storms could bring large amounts of small hail and damage to vehicles, infrastructure and homes. The warning also flags a risk of injury and danger to life. Residents in the affected districts should follow local emergency notices and avoid crossing flooded roads or streams.

Yellow level 2 warning across a wider area

A separate yellow level 2 severe-thunderstorm warning covers Karoo Hoogland and southern parts of the Northern Cape, much of the Western Cape outside the northern and central West Coast district, southwestern and western KwaZulu-Natal, and southern parts of the Free State.

Those areas could see excessive lightning, hail and localised damage to vehicles and infrastructure. The orange and yellow alerts apply to different places and impact levels; people should check the latest SAWS and municipal updates for their specific area as conditions develop.

Forecast for the rest of the country

Gauteng is forecast to be partly cloudy and cool to warm, with isolated showers and thundershowers. Similar isolated showers are forecast for North West and Mpumalanga, while the extreme southwestern parts of Limpopo may also see showers.

Scattered showers and thundershowers are expected in the southern Northern Cape and in both halves of the Eastern Cape. KwaZulu-Natal is forecast to become cloudy during the afternoon, with scattered showers and thundershowers except in the far northeast, where they should be isolated.

The forecast was issued ahead of Wednesday. Warning areas and conditions may change during the day.