Rejoice, the heat wave is over! The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a level 4 yellow warning for disruptive and heavy rain in Gauteng, western Mpumalanga and western Bushveld of Limpopo for Friday.
The heavy rain will affect Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Bela-Bela, Thabazimbi, Lephalele and Randfontein amongst others.
HEAVY RAIN IN GAUTENG, MPUMALANGA AND LIMPOPO
SAWS said there are upper perturbations affecting the central parts from the upper trough in the west. Together with the surface high pressure system drawing in moisture into the east, sufficient instability and moisture will be available to result in high amounts of rainfall.
“The high soil moisture from previous rainfall will further encourage the possibility of flooding in those areas. These include especially Mpumalanga Highveld where we are expecting between 40 and 60mm rainfall.”
SAWS said the rain might cause:
- flooding of roads and settlements (both formal and informal), possible damage to roads and bridges.
- Danger to life (fast flowing streams/deep water)
- Some communities may be temporarily not accessible/cut-off, especially those surrounded by rivers and streams.
The weather service also warned people to:
- Stay indoors and off the roads
- Avoid crossing rivers and swollen streams where water is above one’s ankles.
- If trapped in a vehicle during a flood, abandon it and climb to higher ground
- In buildings, move valuables to a safe place above the expected flood level.
Meanwhile, A selection of beaches in the KwaZulu-Natal municipalities of KwaDukuza and eThekwini have become the first in South Africa to immediately close down this week, as a result of the threat posed by Tropical Cyclone Batsirai.
The extreme weather event is currently taking place off the coast of Madagascar, and it is likely to reach the eastern coast of Africa in the next few days. It’s not yet clear if South Africa will be affected by the tropical cyclone, but an alert issued by the SA Weather Service suggests that a cautionary approach is the best course of action for now.a