An intense low-pressure system is expected to develop over the southern parts of Mozambique in the coming days, the SA Weather Service (Saws) said on Thursday.
This system is forecast to then move further south and is expected to bring widespread showers and thunderstorms to the northeastern parts of the country from early morning Saturday, persisting until next Thursday.
The areas most likely to be affected include the escarpment and lowveld areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and northeastern KwaZulu-Natal.
Some numerical weather prediction models place the system’s core to the east of South Africa, over southern Mozambique, but there are also models that indicate it could track much closer to the country.
The first scenario would result in relatively lower rainfall amounts, while the second would mean very high amounts, potentially totalling several hundreds of millimetres in some places, Saws said.
The weather service said it would provide further updates and advised the public to check for news on verified channels only.
Social media posts claiming there is a “Storm Baron” due to affect Southern Africa are false.
“This should be regarded as a hoax,” Saws said. “There is currently no tropical cyclone activity over the south-western Indian Ocean, and no officially recognised storm named Baron.”
TimesLIVE
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