South Africa will face a sharp weather contrast on Thursday as thunderstorms spread across the north-east while extreme heat grips parts of the Western and Northern Cape.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive rain for the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where heavy downpours could lead to localised flooding of low-lying roads, settlements and bridges.
Rainfall is expected to be most widespread in the far eastern areas with an 80% chance of rain, while surrounding regions may see scattered storms with a 60% chance.
Areas further west across the Highveld, including parts of Gauteng, are expected to see isolated showers and thundershowers with about a 30% chance of rain.
The unsettled weather will also extend into eastern parts of the Free State and North West Province, where cloudy conditions and isolated thunderstorms are likely during the day.
In contrast, dry and intense heat will dominate the western half of the country. The Northern Cape and Western Cape are expected to experience very hot to extremely hot conditions, particularly in the Namakwa district and inland parts of the Western Cape where temperatures could climb into the high 30s and even the low 40s in some areas.
Heatwave conditions are expected to persist across the western parts of the Northern Cape and in western, south-western and northern parts of the Western Cape until Friday.
The extreme heat is likely to create uncomfortable conditions and may increase the risk of heat-related illness.
Fire danger conditions are also extremely high in parts of the Northern Cape as well as sections of the West Coast, the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route in the Western Cape, where the hot, dry, and windy weather could rapidly spread fires.
Meanwhile the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal will remain mostly fine and warm to hot, although morning fog is possible over interior areas of KwaZulu-Natal before clearing to partly cloudy conditions.
A few isolated showers may develop in the far northern parts of the province later in the day.
While thunderstorms bring the risk of flooding in the north-east, residents in the western provinces are being urged to take precautions against the extreme heat as the country heads into another day of contrasting weather conditions.
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Wendy Dondolo
iol.co.za
