Thunderstorms, damaging winds and fire danger warnings issued for Monday across several provinces

South Africans in several provinces face severe weather conditions on Monday, with thunderstorms, heavy downpours, damaging winds, hail and lightning expected in some areas. At the same time, extremely high fire danger threatens parts of the interior.

According to the SA Weather Service (Saws), parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape can expect severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours, damaging winds, hail, and lightning, resulting in localised flooding and damage to infrastructure and settlements.

Western parts of the Free State and the extreme eastern parts of the Northern Cape can expect damaging winds, causing localised damage to settlements, localised loss of agricultural production, and affecting some transport routes and travel services due to wind, falling trees, or dust storms.

A fire warning is also in effect for the North-West, central and eastern Northern Cape, most of the Free State and Limpopo, and parts of western KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Northern Cape.

Provincial weather forecast

Here’s what to expect in your province on Monday, 26 October:

Gauteng:

Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the south.

Mpumalanga:

Partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers over the eastern and southern Highveld. It will be hot to very hot in the Lowveld.

Limpopo:

Fine and hot to very hot.

North West:

Partly cloudy, windy and hot with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Free State:

Partly cloudy, windy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the extreme east and along the Lesotho Border.

Northern Cape:

Partly cloudy, windy and hot but warm in the extreme south, with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the east.

Western Cape:

Cloudy with isolated showers and rain in the south and adjacent eastern interior, where it will be cool and warm; otherwise fine and warm, but partly cloudy along the west.

Western half of the Eastern Cape:

Partly cloudy and warm in the north, otherwise cloudy and cool with isolated showers and rain along the coast and adjacent interior. Isolated thunderstorms are expected over the interior and in the north, where it will become partly cloudy from late morning.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape:

Partly cloudy in the north; otherwise cloudy and cool, with cold in places and scattered showers and thunderstorms.

KwaZulu-Natal:

Morning fog patches over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm but hot in places in the north with scattered showers and thundershowers.