South Africans can expect a mixed bag of weather this Friday, with scattered showers and thundershowers affecting large parts of the country, while a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the interior of the Eastern Cape.
The South African Weather Service has placed the northern interior of the Eastern Cape under a Yellow Level 2 warning, where severe thunderstorms are likely to bring heavy downpours, localised flooding and the risk of hail and damaging winds.
These storms could disrupt roads and cause damage to infrastructure and livestock in vulnerable areas.
Rainfall chances will be widespread across the central and eastern parts of the country, with a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers expected over the Free State, North West, northern Eastern Cape and parts of the Northern Cape.
A 30% chance of rain is forecast for Gauteng and surrounding areas, where conditions will remain partly cloudy and warm with isolated afternoon storms.
Further north, Limpopo and Mpumalanga will also see scattered to isolated showers, with a 30 to 60% chance of rainfall, while morning fog may develop along the escarpment before clearing.
In KwaZulu-Natal, conditions will be partly cloudy and hot, becoming very hot in the east, with only isolated thundershowers expected and rainfall chances around 30%. Humid conditions are likely to make it feel particularly uncomfortable.
The Western Cape will remain cooler, with partly cloudy skies and a 30 to 60% chance of rain over southern areas, especially along the coast where fresh to strong winds are expected. Interior parts of the province will stay mostly dry.
The Northern Cape will be windy and cool to warm, with isolated to scattered thundershowers over the eastern regions bringing a 30 to 60% chance of rain, while the western parts remain dry.
Fire danger conditions are expected to be extremely high in parts of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape, raising concerns despite the scattered rainfall elsewhere.
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Wendy Dondolo
iol.co.za