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Extreme weather warnings issued ahead of New Year celebrations
South Africans have been urged to be extra cautious when ushering in the new year, amid severe weather warnings.
A motorist’s vehicle partially submerged car in Soweto, 9 December 2022, after it was swept away by flash floods on Friday morning, after heavy rains overnight. Persistent rain affected various parts of Johannesburg. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Those with plans to be on the road and outside this New Year’s Eve need to be extra cautious, as the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for the upcoming weekend.
Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, forecaster Venetia Phakula said most of the rainfall expected will be over Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), northern Free State as well as the eastern parts of North West.
The same warning, which is expected to lead to large amounts of hail and localized flooding, is also expected on Friday and soccer fans planning to go and watch the Premier Soccer League (PSL) match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in Pretoria, are urged to travel with caution.
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Alerts to remain active for several days
“We are expecting the same alerts to continue on New Year’s Eve where we are expecting them for the entire Free State and North West provinces.
“There is also a likelihood that these alerts will remain in place going into the first few days of the new year, but we will continue to monitor the situation and if the need to issue any alerts arise, we will inform members of the public accordingly,” Phakula said.
Several parts of the country have in recent weeks been experiencing heavy downpours.
In KZN concerns have been raised about the possibility of severe weather anomalies, similar to the floods that were experienced in April, leaving many people dead and scores destitute.
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Still in KZN, a video was shared on social media on Friday, showing one of two hail storms ravaging the area of Hilton.
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Another province that has been feeling the wrath of the adverse weather in recent weeks is Gauteng.
Heavy downpours have led to flooding and leaving several roads being damaged.
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Meanwhile, daytime temperatures in Gauteng are expected to range between 20 and 24 degrees celsius, at least until Sunday, while the Western Cape and parts of the Northern Cape will be on the dry side.
