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The South African Weather Service has issued warnings of severe thunderstorms across large parts of the country on Thursday.
Boris Jordan Photography/Getty Images
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued warnings of severe thunderstorms across large parts of the country on Thursday, with heavy downpours, damaging winds, hail, and dangerous lightning expected to increase the risk of flooding and infrastructure damage in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Impact-based warnings
Orange Level 5 warning for severe thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours, with the potential to cause flooding of susceptible roads and settlements. Strong damaging winds, hail and excessive lightning resulting in danger to life are expected over the western and northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
A Yellow Level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours with the potential to cause flooding of susceptible roads and settlements, strong and damaging winds, hail, and excessive lightning, resulting in danger to life, is expected over south-central Limpopo, northern Gauteng, and the western Highveld of Mpumalanga.
Yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours, damaging winds, and excessive lightning and hail, resulting in localised flooding and damage to infrastructure and settlements, is expected over most parts of Mpumalanga, southern Gauteng, eastern and central North West, extreme eastern parts of Free State, south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo except in the north-east.
In the SAWS colour-coded weather warning system, yellow indicates a moderate risk of impact that requires caution and awareness, while orange indicates that higher-risk impact is expected, requiring increased attention and preparation. SAWS uses the numbers to indicate the likelihood of weather-based impacts occurring. Levels 2 and 6 are high, and Level 4 is low.
Weather forecast for today & tomorrow, 17 - 18 December 2025.
Partly cloudy & warm to cool conditions are expected, with isolated to scattered showers & thundershowers over the central & eastern parts of the country but widespread over KZN & the eastern half of the Eastern Cape. pic.twitter.com/msg2aUOmsj
The weather in your province
Gauteng: Cloudy and cool to warm conditions, with scattered showers and thundershowers throughout the day.
Pretoria: 16°C - 26°C
Johannesburg: 14°C - 24°C
Vereeniging: 15°C - 25°C
Mpumalanga: Expect morning fog along the escarpment and eastern Highveld. Otherwise cloudy and cool with scattered showers and thundershowers.
Mbombela: 16°C - 23°C
Ermelo: 15°C - 18°C
Emalahleni: 15°C - 21°C
Standerton: 15°C - 20°C
Skukuza: 19°C - 23°C
Limpopo: Cloudy and cool to warm with scattered showers and thundershowers across the province.
Polokwane: 16°C - 23°C
Phalaborwa: 21°C - 25°C
Tzaneen: 16°C - 23°C
Musina: 21°C - 29°C
Lephalale: 20°C - 30°C
Mokopane: 19°C - 26°C
North West: Partly cloudy and warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers. Cloudier conditions are expected in the east.
Klerksdorp: 17°C - 28°C
Potchefstroom: 16°C - 26°C
Mahikeng: 16°C - 28°C
Rustenburg: 19°C - 26°C
Vryburg: 18°C - 31°C
Free State: Partly cloudy and warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, though the west will remain drier.
Bloemfontein: 16°C - 30°C
Welkom: 17°C - 29°C
Bethlehem: 15°C - 24°C
Northern Cape: Partly cloudy in the east, but generally fine and warm to hot conditions. Coastal winds will be fresh to strong south-easterly.
Upington: 20°C - 36°C
Kimberley: 18°C - 33°C
De Aar: 15°C - 31°C
Alexander Bay: 16°C - 26°C
Springbok: 11°C - 33°C
Calvinia: 10°C - 33°C
Sutherland: 8°C - 29°C
Western Cape: Fine and cool to warm, but expect hot conditions in the west. It will be partly cloudy in the extreme east. Coastal winds start light to moderate southerly, becoming fresh to strong south-easterly along the West Coast from the afternoon.
Cape Town: 14°C - 25°C
Vredendal: 14°C - 33°C
Riversdale: 14°C - 30°C
George: 14°C - 24°C
Worcester: 11°C - 35°C
Beaufort West: 12°C - 31°C
Oudtshoorn: 15°C - 31°C
Western half of the Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy and cool to warm conditions. Coastal winds will be light to moderate south-westerly, becoming light and variable by evening.
Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Partly cloudy and warm in the north-west, but cloudy and cool elsewhere with light rain possible along the coast and nearby interior areas. Coastal winds will be moderate south-easterly.
Gqeberha: 15°C - 24°C
Makhanda: 12°C - 23°C
Cradock: 12°C - 28°C
Graaff-Reinet: 13°C - 29°C
East London: 17°C - 23°C
Port St Johns: 18°C - 24°C
Mthatha: 14°C - 20°C
Komani: 12°C - 23°C
Qonce: 14°C - 23°C
KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog over the western interior, then cloudy and cold to cool with widespread morning showers and rain (scattered in the south). Coastal winds will be light to moderate south-easterly.
Durban: 19°C - 22°C
Richards Bay: 21°C - 24°C
Pietermaritzburg: 14°C - 18°C
Ladysmith: 15°C - 20°C
*This weather report was written with the support of Toqan AI.
