Today’s weather: Thunderstorms, strong winds, and extreme heat hit SA

South Africans can expect mixed weather on Wednesday. South Africa heads into Wednesday with a mix of heat, humidity and the threat of severe thunderstorms, especially across the central and eastern parts of the country. The South African Weather Service has issued impact-based warnings as heavy downpours, damaging winds, hail and frequent lightning are expected in several regions.

Rain chances are highest over the southern Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and the south-eastern Northern Cape, where scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms are likely, with rain probabilities reaching around 60% in places. The south-eastern Eastern Cape can expect isolated to scattered storms, with rain chances near 30%, while parts of the central interior also see a similar 30 to 60% chance of afternoon and evening rain. In Gauteng, the day will be partly cloudy and warm, turning hot in the far north, with only a small chance of isolated showers later.

Mpumalanga and Limpopo start with morning cloud and fog along the escarpment, then warm to hot conditions, with a few isolated showers possible in the north-east. The North West will be warm to hot with a chance of isolated showers and thundershowers, especially in central and western areas. The Free State and Northern Cape see increasing cloud with scattered storms in the east, while the west of the Northern Cape remains mostly fine.

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In the Western Cape, morning fog in the west gives way to a warm to hot day with isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms in the south and east. Along the coast, strong winds and a very high UV index will add to the challenging conditions. KwaZulu-Natal faces hot and humid weather, becoming very hot in the north-east.

Scattered storms are expected in the south with isolated showers elsewhere, and rain chances rise to about 60 percent in some coastal and inland areas. With severe storms possible and fire danger extremely high in parts of the Northern Cape, residents are urged to stay weather-aware, limit outdoor burning and take precautions against lightning, flooding and heat as Wednesday unfolds.

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