Severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail threaten parts of SA as temperatures soar - IOL

Severe thunderstorms, heavy downpours and hail are expected to batter parts of South Africa on Friday, with a 60% chance of rain in several provinces as hot to very hot conditions persist.

The South African Weather Service has warned of severe thunderstorms, heavy downpours and hail across several provinces on Friday, November 6, with a 60% chance of rain in parts of the country as hot to very hot temperatures persist.

Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal are among the provinces expected to experience severe thunderstorms, with warnings of possible flooding, damage to infrastructure and disruptions to electricity supply.

The weather service has issued a yellow level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms affecting Gauteng, the south-western Highveld of Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The storms are expected to bring heavy downpours, hail and severe lightning, potentially causing flooding and damage to infrastructure.

A yellow level 2 warning is also in place for the eastern Free State and North West, central KwaZulu-Natal, parts of the Mpumalanga Highveld and the western Bushveld of Limpopo.

Strong winds and hail could damage homes, vehicles and other infrastructure, while heavy rainfall could flood roads, low-lying settlements and bridges.

The severe thunderstorm warnings will remain in effect from 1pm until 11.59pm on Friday.

Gauteng will experience partly cloudy and hot to very hot conditions, with a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers across much of the province, including Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Mpumalanga will be partly cloudy and warm to hot, with a 60% chance of rain in the south-western Highveld and a 30% chance in some surrounding areas.

Isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers are expected, except in the Lowveld and northern escarpment.

Limpopo will experience partly cloudy and hot to very hot conditions, with a 60% chance of rain in parts of the extreme south-west.

Isolated showers and thundershowers are expected in the south-west, while much of the province will remain dry.

KwaZulu-Natal will experience partly cloudy and warm to hot conditions, with a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers across large parts of the province.

Some southern areas have a 30% chance of rain, while cloudy conditions are expected to develop along the coast and adjacent interior during the afternoon.

The weather service has also warned that hot and humid conditions will result in extremely uncomfortable weather in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal.

The North West will experience partly cloudy, windy and hot to very hot conditions, with a 60% chance of rain in the eastern parts and a 30% chance in central areas.

Isolated thundershowers are expected across parts of the province, becoming scattered in the extreme east.

The Free State will be partly cloudy, windy and warm to hot, with a 60% chance of rain in the extreme east and a 30% chance in some central and eastern areas.

Afternoon thundershowers are expected, particularly in the eastern parts of the province.

The Western Cape will experience cloudy and cool conditions in western areas, with a 60% chance of rain around Cape Town and parts of the south-western Cape.

A 30% chance of rain is expected along parts of the west coast and southern coastline, while other areas will remain partly cloudy and warm.

In the Eastern Cape, partly cloudy and warm conditions are expected, although coastal areas will remain cool.

The western parts of the province could experience light evening rain along the coast west of Oyster Bay.

The eastern parts will become cloudy south of the escarpment during the afternoon, with scattered showers expected along the Wild Coast and adjacent interior.

Rainfall chances are expected to reach 30% along parts of the coastline and 60% in areas closer to the KwaZulu-Natal border.

Despite the widespread rainfall forecast, extremely high fire danger conditions are expected in parts of the Northern Cape, Free State and North West, as well as most of Limpopo, northern Gauteng and some areas of Mpumalanga.

The Northern Cape will experience warm to hot and windy conditions, with cooler temperatures in the west.

Most of the province will remain dry, although morning rain is possible in the extreme south-west.

The weather service has warned that severe thunderstorms could result in flooding, damage to settlements and infrastructure, and disruptions to power supply and communications.

Residents are urged to exercise caution, particularly in flood-prone areas, and avoid crossing flooded roads and low-water bridges.