Severe thunderstorms, hail in parts of KZN and Mpumalanga on Thursday

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms leading to hail, excessive lightning, damaging winds, and heavy downpours in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga on Thursday afternoon.

The weather service has also issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms leading to hail, excessive lightning and heavy downpours over parts of the Free State and places over the central and eastern parts of Mpumalanga from the afternoon into the evening.

SAWS warned against high fire danger conditions over the Kai !Garib and the Richtersveld Municipalities of the Northern Cape and the Matzikama Municipality of the Western Cape.

Mpumalanga Tomorrow ‘s Weather overview: 29.0.2023 pic.twitter.com/EzQgPxkWpO

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) December 28, 2022

Thursday’s weather forecast

Gauteng: Partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy and warm to hot with scattered showers and thundershowers but widespread in the south-east.

Limpopo: Partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers over the southern and south-western parts.

North West: Partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Free State: Partly cloudy and warm with scattered showers and thundershowers.

Northern Cape: Cloudy along the coast at first, otherwise fine and warm to hot but partly cloudy in the extreme south and east with isolated showers and thundershowers in the extreme north-east. It will be cool over the southern high-ground.

The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong southerly to south-easterly reaching near-gale from the afternoon.

Western Cape: Cloudy in the south and extreme east, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm clearing from the west from late morning. Light rain is expected along the south coast and the adjacent interior in the morning. The wind along the coast will be strong southerly to south-easterly along the south-west coast, reaching near-gale from the afternoon, otherwise moderate to fresh, but south-westerly along the south coast in the morning.

Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cool with isolated light showers and rain. The wind along the coast will be fresh south-westerly.

Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cool to cold with scattered showers and rain but showers and thundershowers in the north.

KwaZulu-Natal: Partly cloudy and warm, becoming cloudy in the afternoon with widespread showers and thundershowers but scattered in the extreme east.

The wind along the coast will be moderate north-easterly becoming strong south-westerly from the south in the morning, spreading northwards and reaching the northern coast in the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: Moderate.

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