Weather warning for South Africa

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 4 severe weather warning for parts of the country.

The good news is that there is a low likelihood of a significant impact and only a moderate likelihood of a minor impact.

The South African Weather Service categorises alerts using a matrix that combines likelihood and impact levels.

A yellow warning represents minor-to-moderate overall threat levels, and level 4 indicates that the hazard has a reasonable chance of causing noticeable disruption.

The weather service has warned of potential disruptive rainfall over parts of the Overberg and Garden Route districts in the Western Cape.

This rainfall could lead to flooding of roads and settlements, as well as major disruptions to traffic flow.

A warning for damaging wind was issued for the Namakwa district in the Northern Cape and large parts of the Western Cape.

The South African Weather Service warned that these winds could damage temporary structures and settlements and lead to injuries from flying debris.

Damaging winds and waves have also been warned for Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay, which could lead to port disruptions and hazardous navigation for ships.

SAWS also warned of potential severe thunderstorms in Gauteng from Friday afternoon, as well as parts of the Free State and the North West.

These potential storms are then expected to move east towards Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from Sunday morning.

These severe storms can cause localised flooding, damaging winds, excessive lightning, and potential hail.

“The exact location and intensity of severe thunderstorms will depend on the evolution of the atmospheric system,” it said in a statement.

It added that the public is encouraged to remain updated with the latest forecasts and warnings.

On Friday morning, there is also a possibility of snow in high-lying areas of the Drakensberg mountains in the Eastern Cape.

“Motorists travelling through high-lying mountain passes are advised to remain alert due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions,” it said.

These conditions included reduced visibility, cold temperatures, and possible hazardous driving conditions.

“Cold, wet and windy conditions are expected to affect parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape from Thursday into Friday,” it said.

“Very cold conditions are possible over the high-lying areas, where maximum temperatures may remain below 10°C in places.”

“Rainfall over parts of the Western Cape may become disruptive and could lead to localised flooding, particularly over the south-eastern parts of the province.”