Severe Weather Threatens Parts of South Africa with Flooding, Storms, and Heatwaves

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued warnings for disruptive rain and flooding across several provinces on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Heavy downpours are expected to drench the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with the potential for localized flooding and strong winds. Simultaneously, extreme heat will persist across parts of the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape.

Impact-Based Warnings

A Yellow Level 2 warning is in effect for disruptive rain with heavy downpours leading to possible flooding and strong winds over the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga .

Heatwave conditions with persistently high temperatures are expected over the western parts of the Namakwa district municipality in the Northern Cape, the west, south-west and northern parts of the Western Cape until Friday, as well as Koukamma local municipality in the Eastern Cape until Friday, but persisting until Saturday in places over Sarah Baartman and Amathole district, King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and Buffalo City Metro in the Eastern Cape .

Provincial Weather Forecasts

Gauteng

Partly cloudy at first, otherwise cloudy and cool with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Pretoria: 14—23°C

Johannesburg: 12—20°C

Vereeniging: 11—20°C

Mpumalanga

Cloudy and cold to cool with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in the extreme east.

Mbombela: 15—19°C

Ermelo: 10—16°C

Emalahleni: 12—17°C

Standerton: 10—20°C

Skukuza: 16—23°C

Limpopo

Cloudy and cool with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in the extreme east.

Polokwane: 14—19°C

Phalaborwa: 19—22°C

Tzaneen: 18—23°C

Musina: 20—22°C

Lephalale: 16—21°C

Mokopane: 13—21°C

North West

Partly cloudy and cool to warm, becoming cloudy over the central and eastern parts with isolated showers and thundershowers.

Klerksdorp: 12—26°C

Potchefstroom: 12—24°C

Mahikeng: 14—26°C

Rustenburg: 12—24°C

Vryburg: 12—29°C

Free State

Morning fog patches over the extreme east, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm, with isolated showers and thundershowers over the eastern parts where it will be cloudy.

Bloemfontein: 13—28°C

Welkom: 12—26°C

Bethlehem: 8—24°C

Northern Cape

Fine to partly cloudy and warm to hot, but very hot to extremely hot in the west. The wind along the coast will be moderate south-easterly in the morning, becoming light to moderate westerly by the afternoon.

Upington: 20—35°C

Kimberley: 16—31°C

De Aar: 17—32°C

Alexander Bay: 23—38°C

Springbok: 26—37°C

Calvinia: 21—38°C

Sutherland: 13—34°C

Western Cape

Fine to partly cloudy and very hot to extremely hot. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate easterly to south-easterly but southerly along the west coast.

Cape Town: 29—38°C

Vredendal: 23—42°C

Riversdale: 22—42°C

George: 20—34°C

Worcester: 23—41°C

Beaufort West: 22—37°C

Oudtshoorn: 21—41°C

Heatwave conditions continue across parts of the Western Cape today, with very hot to extremely hot temperatures expected in several areas.

Eastern Cape

Western half: Fine and hot. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to north-easterly.

Eastern half: Fine and hot. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong north-easterly.

Gqeberha: 18—29°C

Makhanda: 15—36°C

Cradock: 15—35°C

Graaff-Reinet: 16—37°C

East London: 19—30°C

Port St Johns: 14—28°C

Mthatha: 11—31°C

Komani: 11—32°C

Qonce: 15—34°C

KwaZulu-Natal

Morning fog over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy and warm, but cloudy in the north. Isolated showers and rain are expected in the extreme north. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate easterly to south-easterly north of Durban, otherwise moderate to fresh northerly to north-easterly, spreading to Richard’s Bay by evening.

Durban: 20—27°C

Richard’s Bay: 21—27°C

Pietermaritzburg: 14—28°C

Ladysmith: 14—27°C