More hail expected for Pretoria
Weather conditions will not improve as thundershowers and hail are expected for the weekend, the South African Weather Service said on Friday.
Thundershowers and hail can be expected for the next few days, as there will be an 80% chance of rain this weekend in Pretoria, the South African Weather Service said on Friday.
“Residents should be warned of a severe storm this Friday and Saturday with hail and strong winds expected on Friday afternoon and evening,” said forecaster Bransby Bulo.
He stated that the weather would be similar on Saturday, with an 80% chance of showers and thundershowers in the morning and afternoon.
“Sunday will be similar, with a 60% chance of thundershowers in the early morning and again in the afternoon. Overall, this weekend will remain wet in Pretoria and Gauteng,” Bulo added.
After several rumours of an upcoming tornado in Pretoria and Gauteng, the weather service confirmed the rumours to be false. “There was no warning issued for a tornado, we are still busy trying to determine the source of the rumour,” said forecaster Puseletso Mofokeng.
Many residents have taken Friday off to deal with the damage caused by the severe hail on Thursday night. Several homes and cars have been reported to be severely damaged by the tennis ball-sized hail.
The Wonderpark Shopping Centre experienced a ceiling collapse due to the storm. “The water was lying on the roof in combination with the hail. A lot of weight was on the ceiling. Pieces of the ceiling collapsed into the mall. Luckily it was after trading hours so there were no injuries,” said Wonderpark spokesperson, Elzette Schuster.
She stated that some parts of the mall are still operating while they are cleaning up the damaged areas. “Most of the shops are open today, but we have closed off some areas to make sure our customers are safe as we try to ensure that other ceilings do not collapse. We have cleaners and contractors cleaning up the area as best as possible. It was the first time I ever saw a storm like this,” Schuster said.
Tshwane Emergency Services has conducted assessments to determine the extent of the damages. “We are busy with assessments to determine the costs of the damage caused. Currently, people are fixing their broken windows and roofs. The areas that were affected the most are Mamelodi and Soshanguve. Unfortunately, the City of Tshwane cannot pay for these damages as it was a natural cause,” said spokesperson Johan Pieterse.
Residents have taken to social media sites to share photos of the large hail and damaged homes. Others expressed their grief, disbelief and thoughts regarding the ordeal.
“We were under attack by the hail storm in PTA North #HeavySnow,” tweeted Ike Monametsi.
“Watching a hailstorm belting Tshwane, my heart goes out to those caught in it,” tweeted former NPA head, Vusi Pikoli.
Jean van Vuuren tweeted, “#Pretoria, #hail storm, round number 3 in less than 12 hours. This is scary struff!”
Click here to view our gallery with our reader’s photos of last night’s storm.
Lloyd Bekker posted this video on Youtube showing the hailstorm in action:
