Partly cloudy and warm conditions expected over most parts of SA

Partly cloudy and warm conditions will persist over most parts of the country for the remainder of the week.

Hot to very hot conditions are expected over the south-western areas. 

According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers/thunderstorms will be confined to the central and eastern parts with no severe weather warnings issued.

This comes after dramatic weather patterns earlier in the week.

A tornado was spotted spiralling in Mpumalanga on Monday afternoon and parts of Gauteng were hit by a hailstorm that left huge damage in some areas. In Midrand, several cars lost windscreens when hailstones as big as golf balls pounded unsheltered vehicles.

“During the afternoon and early evening on Monday the north-eastern parts of the country experienced severe thunderstorms. These included a tornado in the Lekwa municipality in Mpumalanga and hailstorms in parts of Johannesburg with the most severe in suburbs in Midrand. The thunderstorms caused severe damage to property, including housing and other structures and motor vehicles,” SAWS said.

According to the weather service, an extension of a low-pressure area was positioned over central parts of the country with a high pressure to the east.

This set-up allowed for low-level moisture to be advected into the north-eastern parts of the country, supporting the development of thunderstorms. 

The weather service said thunderstorms started developing over south-eastern North West and northern Free State early on Monday afternoon, moving north-eastward towards Gauteng and south-western Mpumalanga.

Once it was observed on radar and satellite that some of the thunderstorms were becoming severe, a warning was issued for southern parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

The Lekwa municipality confirmed a tornado hit Thuthukani and damaged power lines.

Electrical infrastructure and properties were damaged when the tornado accompanied by heavy rain and a hailstorm hit Seriti and Thuthukani on Monday, the municipality said. 

“This has affected power lines supplying electricity to Morgenzon. Fire, rescue, and disaster management are busy with assessments to determine the extent of damage. Fire, rescue and disaster management officials will co-ordinate services to assist affected communities.”

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