Heavy rainfall, hail and strong winds battered parts of South Africa today (November 8), with the severe weather conditions being attributed to El Niño’s influence on atmospheric temperatures and instability. 

Mpumalanga 

According to N17 Emergency Response, areas including Bethal, Secunda, Kinross and Trichardt in Mpumalanga experienced hail, heavy rainfall and strong winds. 

“A lot of roads are flooded. We have urged all motorists to travel with extreme caution,” it said. 

Social media was flooded with dramatic images of Bethal, blanketed in hail so thick it looked like snow. 

KZN warnings issued 

In KZN, the Southlands Sun reported that disruptive rainfall was expected to continue until midnight. 

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued an Orange Level 5 warning for the province. At the same time, the eThekwini Municipality has placed its emergency teams on standby as severe weather warnings take effect across the city. 

Gauteng 

Meanwhile, Pretoria Rekord reported that temperatures in Pretoria were expected to drop to about 13°C overnight before improving on Monday. 

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts-based mountain forecasts published by Snow Now also indicated the possibility of snowfall over Thabana Ntlenyana, Lesotho’s highest peak, today. 

The forecast guidance points to possible snowfall over high mountain terrain, although this does not confirm that snow has fallen. 

The Weather Hooligan described today as the worst weather day of the week for Gauteng, with further thunderstorms expected later in the week. 

The organisation attributed the severe thunderstorms to El Niño’s heat, explaining that the warmer conditions contribute to instability in the atmosphere. 

“The severe thunderstorms are now caused by El Niño’s heat. These are heat-induced thunderstorms that create severe storms, heat, heavy winds and instability in the atmosphere,” it said. 

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