Severe storms threaten South Africa’s central interior
SAWS has issued impact-based warnings up to Orange Level 6 for severe thunderstorms on Sunday, with flooding, hail, damaging winds and service interruptions possible across parts of the central interior.
The highest warning covers most of North West, the northern Free State and north-eastern Northern Cape on Sunday, 6 September. The South African Weather Service expects widespread showers and thunderstorms across these areas, where saturated roads and rapid downpours may create dangerous travel conditions.
Orange warnings across the interior
An Orange Level 6 warning applies to most of North West, excluding the extreme north-east, as well as the northern half of the Free State and north-eastern Northern Cape. Anticipated impacts include flooding of vulnerable settlements and roads, strong gusts, hail, structural damage, travel disruption and possible municipal-service outages.
An Orange Level 5 warning covers Gauteng and the Mpumalanga Highveld, with similar hazards including local flooding, damaging wind and hail. Residents in Pretoria, Johannesburg and surrounding areas should expect widespread showers and thundershowers, with reduced visibility and water accumulating quickly on low-lying routes.
A Yellow Level 4 warning covers north-eastern North West, eastern Northern Cape, western Free State and areas along the Lesotho border. A Yellow Level 2 warning applies to the western Bushveld, south-western Limpopo and much of Mpumalanga, excluding the northern Lowveld, for localised damage, falling trees and fire incidents associated with excessive lightning.
Coastal wind and the 48-hour outlook
A separate Yellow Level 2 damaging-wind warning applies from Table Bay to Cape Agulhas, where strong coastal winds may disrupt ports and create hazardous navigation conditions. Cape Town itself is forecast to remain fine, but marine users should treat the coastal warning separately from ordinary land conditions.
Cold to cool, cloudy conditions with scattered rain or thunderstorms are expected across much of the eastern and central interior. KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape face scattered showers, while western areas of the Northern Cape and Western Cape should be drier overall.
For Monday, 7 September, SAWS indicates partly cloudy and cold-to-cool conditions with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers. Warning areas and levels may be revised as storms develop.
Safety guidance
Motorists should delay non-essential travel during intense storms, never drive through flooded roads and increase following distances. Secure loose outdoor items, unplug sensitive equipment when lightning approaches, keep away from trees and power lines, and move livestock or vehicles under safe cover where hail threatens. Coastal users should check harbour and marine notices before departure.
Forecast verification: South African Weather Service, its 6–7 September outlook and a regional summary of SAWS warnings linked directly to the principal official and corroborating reports.
