Snow, disruptive rain and severe thunderstorms to sweep across country

Picture of Faizel Patel

By Faizel Patel

Senior Journalist


The South African Weather Service has issued two orange and six yellow level warnings for several parts of the country.


South Africans will experience wintry conditions with a cold, wet, and windy start to the week in the country, including snow as a strong cut-off low sweeps across the country, with a high-pressure system ridging in behind a cold front.

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued two orange and six yellow level warnings for several parts of the country, with warnings of very cold, wet and windy conditions, including snow for several parts of the country.

Snow

Localised flooding, road closures and icy conditions are also expected in some areas.

While snow was initially forecast for Gauteng, other parts of the country were not disappointed, with snowfall reported across several areas as a powerful winter storm moved across the country.

The last time it snowed in Johannesburg, Gauteng was on the 10th of July 2023, when the Weather Service confirmed that various parts of the province were covered in snow.

ALSO READ: Winter wonderland: Snow expected in Gauteng next week

Warnings

Yellow Level 6 warning: Disruptive snow, resulting in danger to life, pass closures, and communities being cut off, is expected over the Joe Gqabi District Municipality, as well as the Enoch Mgijima (Molteno) and Matatiele local municipalities in the Eastern Cape.

Orange Level 6 Warning

Disruptive rain, leading to flooding of settlements, property, and roads, as well as a danger to life, is expected in places over Amatholo and OR Tambo district municipalities, as well as Buffalo City Metro in the Eastern Cape.

Orange Level 5 Warning

Disruptive rain, leading to danger to life, flooding, and displacement of settlements, as well as mudslides, is expected over the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro of the Eastern Cape, including the following local municipalities: Makana, Ndlambe, Sundays River Valley, Kouga, and Koukamma.

Yellow Level 2 Warning

Disruptive snow, leading to the loss of livestock, minor passes being closed, and traffic disruptions due to snow and icy roads, are expected over the Chris Hani district municipality of the Eastern Cape, as well as the following local municipalities: Dr Beyers Naude (Graaff-Reinet), Raymond Mhlaba, Amahlati, and Umzimvubu.

Yellow Level 2 Warning

Disruptive Rain leading to localised flooding of settlements and roads is expected in places over Joe Gqabi and Chris Hani district municipalities of the Eastern Cape, as well as the following local municipalities: Blue Crane Route and Dr Beyers Naude.

Yellow Level 2 Warning

Damaging waves, which can lead to difficulty in navigation at sea, are expected between Saldanha Bay and Plettenberg Bay in the morning.

Yellow Level 2 Warning: Severe thunderstorms leading to heavy downpours resulting in localised flooding, large amounts of small hail, and damaging winds, are expected over the southern and eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

Advisory

Saws also issued an advisory for a cut-off that is passing over the south-central parts and expected to result in snowfall over the high-lying areas, exiting the country through the south-east on Tuesday (10/06/2025).

The weather service warned the public and small stock farmers of the occurrence of very cold, wet and windy conditions over the interior of the Western Cape, the southern parts of the Northern Cape, southern and eastern parts of Free State, the interior of the Eastern Cape, and the interior of KwaZulu-Natal, with the likelihood of very rough seas in places along the south coast.

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