A Yellow Level 1 warning for severe thunderstorms covers the northern interior of the Eastern Cape from 13:00 to 21:59, with localised damage to property and disruption to power and communications possible. A heat wave holds over the Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo municipalities, and extremely high fire danger is expected over the central and eastern Northern Cape and western Free State and North West. Upington is the hottest place at 40°C, and Queenstown carries the best chance of rain at 60%.
Weather warnings for Saturday 31 October
SAWS has 2 weather warnings in force for Saturday, the highest warning level 1 for severe thunderstorms. Tap a warning to see the areas and what to do.
Yellow level 1
Severe Thunderstorms
Where
Matatiele, Mount Ayliff, Molteno, Queenstown + 9 more
Severe Thunderstorms
Matatiele, Mount Ayliff, Molteno, Queenstown + 9 more
Areas: Matatiele, Mount Ayliff, Molteno, Queenstown, Lady Frere, Tsolo, Elliot, Tarkastad, Cofimvaba, Ntabankulu, Maclear, Ngcobo, Cradock.
- Localised damage to settlements, property, structures
- Dangerous and difficult driving conditions in flooded roads
- Danger to life.
What to do: If possible stay indoors away from metal objects. Do not seek shelter under trees or tall objects. Do not go fishing or play golf as both the golf clubs and fishing rods are a good conductor of electricity. Be aware that any combination of hail, strong winds, intense lightning and/or heavy downpours can accompany the storms.
Warning Advisory
Weather Advisory
When
valid until 23:59 on 31 October
Weather Advisory
valid until 23:59 on 31 October
Areas: Cradock.
- Heat cramps and fainting
- Heat stroke
- Affect sleeping patterns and contribute to irritability
What to do: Try to stay out of the heat.
Try to keep your home cool.
Try to keep your body cool and hydrated.
SAWS advisory
- Yellow Level 1 Warning: Severe thunderstorms leading to localised damage to settlements/property and localised disruption to power supply and communications over the northern interior of the Eastern Cape.
SAWS advisory
- Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the central and eastern parts of the Northern Cape, and the western parts of both Free State and North West.
SAWS advisory
- A heat wave with persistently high temperatures is expected in places over the Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo municipalities of the Eastern Cape until Sunday (01/11/2026).
Moon tonight
Waning Gibbous
63% lit
The moon tonight is a waning gibbous, about 63% lit, and the next new moon is on Monday 9 November.
Weather today by province, Saturday 31 October
View Weather Forecast for TomorrowView the weather tomorrow on the 7-Day Weather Forecast
Each province lists its main towns with today’s sky, low and high, rain chance and wind; every province starts closed, tap one to open it. Tide times are inside Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Today Johannesburg peaks at 32°C.
Gauteng
Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, Vereeniging
A hot day with a 30% chance of showers and thundershowers. Pretoria and Vereeniging reach 33°C and Soweto 32°C, while Johannesburg climbs from a cool 13°C to 32°C.
Johannesburg today
Rain, storms32°13°30%N 5 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Gauteng
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Gauteng
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | Rain, storms | 13° | 32° | 30% | N 5 |
| Pretoria | Rain, storms | 16° | 33° | 30% | NE 10 |
| Soweto | Rain, storms | 16° | 32° | 30% | N 5 |
| Vereeniging | Rain, storms | 15° | 33° | 30% | N 5 |
Western Cape
Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Paarl, George · tides
A dry day with no rain expected. Paarl is the warmest at 31°C, Stellenbosch reaches 30°C and Cape Town 27°C under cloud, while George sees fog and a 23°C high.
Cape Town today
Cloudy27°18°0%S 15 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Western Cape
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Western Cape
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | Cloudy | 18° | 27° | 0% | S 15 |
| Stellenbosch | Cloudy | 15° | 30° | 0% | SSW 10 |
| Paarl | High cloud | 16° | 31° | 0% | W 10 |
| George | Fog | 16° | 23° | 0% | S 5 |
Tides: Cape Town
| Day | Low tide | High tide |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct | 00:19, 12:58 | 06:44, 19:08 |
Mpumalanga and Limpopo next today: Mbombela reaches 30°C and Polokwane reaches 30°C.
Mpumalanga
Mbombela, eMalahleni, Ermelo
Ermelo starts at 13°C and peaks at 33°C, with eMalahleni at 32°C. Both have a 30% chance of thundershowers, while Mbombela stays dry with mist and a 30°C high.
Mbombela today
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Mpumalanga
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Mpumalanga
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mbombela | Mist | 16° | 30° | 0% | NE 10 |
| eMalahleni | Rain, storms | 15° | 32° | 30% | NNW 5 |
| Ermelo | Rain, storms | 13° | 33° | 30% | W 5 |
Limpopo
Polokwane, Tzaneen, Thohoyandou, Musina
A dry day across the province. Musina is the warmest at 33°C under clear skies, Tzaneen and Thohoyandou reach 31°C under cloud, and Polokwane is partly cloudy at 30°C.
Polokwane today
Partly cloudy30°15°0%NE 10 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Limpopo
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Limpopo
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polokwane | Partly cloudy | 15° | 30° | 0% | NE 10 |
| Tzaneen | Cloudy | 15° | 31° | 0% | E 5 |
| Thohoyandou | Cloudy | 17° | 31° | 0% | ESE 5 |
| Musina | Clear | 16° | 33° | 0% | E 15 |
North West and Free State follow today: Mahikeng reaches 35°C and Bloemfontein reaches 33°C.
North West
Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp
Extremely high fire danger in the west. Klerksdorp hits 36°C and Potchefstroom 34°C with a 30% chance of thundershowers, while Mahikeng and Rustenburg stay dry at 35°C.
Mahikeng today
Partly cloudy35°19°0%NNE 15 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close North West
Tap for cities and townsTap to close North West
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahikeng | Partly cloudy | 19° | 35° | 0% | NNE 15 |
| Rustenburg | Partly cloudy | 16° | 35° | 0% | NNW 10 |
| Potchefstroom | Rain, storms | 14° | 34° | 30% | NNW 15 |
| Klerksdorp | Rain, storms | 17° | 36° | 30% | NNW 10 |
Free State
Bloemfontein, Bethlehem, Kroonstad
Extremely high fire danger over the western parts. Kroonstad reaches 35°C, Bloemfontein 33°C and Bethlehem 32°C, all with a 30% chance of showers and thundershowers.
Bloemfontein today
Rain, storms33°15°30%NNE 15 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Free State
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Free State
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloemfontein | Rain, storms | 15° | 33° | 30% | NNE 15 |
| Bethlehem | Rain, storms | 13° | 32° | 30% | W 10 |
| Kroonstad | Rain, storms | 14° | 35° | 30% | N 10 |
Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal close the list today: Kimberley reaches 37°C, Gqeberha reaches 23°C and Durban reaches 26°C.
Northern Cape
Kimberley, Upington, Springbok, De Aar · tides
Extremely high fire danger over the central and eastern parts. Upington reaches 40°C, Kimberley 37°C and De Aar 35°C, all with a 30% chance of thundershowers, while Springbok stays dry at 31°C.
Kimberley today
Rain, storms37°17°30%NNE 10 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Northern Cape
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Northern Cape
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimberley | Rain, storms | 17° | 37° | 30% | NNE 10 |
| Upington | Rain, storms | 17° | 40° | 30% | NW 10 |
| Springbok | High cloud | 20° | 31° | 0% | SW 15 |
| De Aar | Rain, storms | 16° | 35° | 30% | E 10 |
Tides: Port Nolloth (modelled)
| Day | Low tide | High tide |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct | 12:18 | 06:04, 18:30 |
Eastern Cape
Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Queenstown · tides
Severe storms from 13:00 to 21:59 in Matatiele, Mount Ayliff, Molteno, Queenstown, Lady Frere and Tsolo, with a heat wave in places. Queenstown has a 60% chance of storms, 32°C. Mthatha reaches 33°C, East London 25°C and Gqeberha 23°C.
Gqeberha today
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Eastern Cape
Tap for cities and townsTap to close Eastern Cape
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gqeberha | Mist | 17° | 23° | 0% | SW 10 |
| East London | Rain, storms | 16° | 25° | 30% | ENE 10 |
| Mthatha | Rain, storms | 14° | 33° | 30% | SE 5 |
| Queenstown | Thunderstorms | 14° | 32° | 60% | SW 5 |
Tides: Gqeberha
| Day | Low tide | High tide |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct | 00:22, 12:45 | 06:50, 19:08 |
Tides: East London
| Day | Low tide | High tide |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct | 00:23, 12:48 | 06:48, 19:06 |
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Newcastle · tides
Newcastle starts at 9°C and climbs to 34°C, with a 30% chance of thundershowers. Richards Bay reaches 32°C, Pietermaritzburg 30°C and Durban 26°C, all partly cloudy and dry.
Durban today
Partly cloudy26°18°0%NE 20 km/h
Tap for cities and townsTap to close KwaZulu-Natal
Tap for cities and townsTap to close KwaZulu-Natal
Towns today
| Town | Weather | Lo | Hi | Rain | Wind km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durban | Partly cloudy | 18° | 26° | 0% | NE 20 |
| Pietermaritzburg | Partly cloudy | 11° | 30° | 0% | ESE 5 |
| Richards Bay | Partly cloudy | 13° | 32° | 0% | NNE 10 |
| Newcastle | Rain, storms | 9° | 34° | 30% | ESE 5 |
Tides: Durban
| Day | Low tide | High tide |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct | 00:23, 12:47 | 06:41, 18:54 |
View Weather Forecast for TomorrowView the weather tomorrow on the 7-Day Weather Forecast
Forecast data: the South African Weather Service and other third-party sources and providers, brought together with the latest AI tools. We take great care to get every figure right, but mistakes are possible.
Thandi Mokoena
www.thesouthafrican.com