Friday's weather: A mix of damaging waves, fog, cold, rain and thunderstorms

News24

17-07-2025

Kelly Cestari/World Surf League via Getty Images
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has forecast wet conditions in parts of the Free State, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.
Damaging waves are expected in Alexander Bay and East London while thunderstorms are forecast for the Free State.
Impact-based warning
Yellow Level 2 warning: Damaging waves along Alexander Bay and East London are expected, creating difficulty in navigation at sea. Small vessels are at risk of taking on water and capsizing.
Yellow level 2 warning: Damaging waves
Affected area: Eastern Cape
Validity period: 18 July 2025. #saws #weatheroutlook #southafricanweather pic.twitter.com/MQreqdyibj
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) July 17, 2025
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.
The weather in your province
Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool.
Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy and cool to warm, becoming cloudy with drizzle in the east from the evening.
Mbombela: 8°C — 23°C
Ermelo: 7°C — 19°C
Emalahleni: 8°C — 21°C
Standerton: 6°C — 20°C
Skukuza: 12°C — 28°C
Limpopo: Morning fog patches in the central parts, otherwise fine and cool to warm.
Polokwane: 8°C — 23°C
Phalaborwa: 13°C — 27°C
Tzaneen: 10°C — 24°C
Musina: 10°C — 26°C
Lephalale: 9°C — 26°C
Mokopane: 10°C — 26°C
North West: Partly cloudy and cool.
Klerksdorp: 9°C — 22°C
Potchefstroom: 08°C — 21°C
Mahikeng: 10°C — 23°C
Rustenburg: 10°C — 23°C
Vryburg: 6°C — 21°C
Free State: Partly cloudy and cool to cold, with isolated showers and thundershowers in the east and along the Lesotho border.
Bloemfontein: 07°C — 18°C
Welkom: 08°C — 21°C
Bethlehem: 04°C — 18°C
Northern Cape: Morning fog patches over the western interior, otherwise partly cloudy, cool to cold but fine in the east. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly.
Upington: 4°C — 19°C
Kimberley: 3°C — 18°C
De Aar: 2°C — 15°C
Alexander Bay: 09°C — 21°C
Springbok: 5°C — 15°C
Calvinia: 2°C — 14°C
Sutherland: -1°C — 10°C
Western Cape: Cloudy in the south-west with fog patches in the north, otherwise partly cloudy and cold but cool over the west coast district. Isolated showers and rain are expected in the extreme south-west and south-east.
The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh westerly to north-westerly along the south coast, otherwise light to moderate southerly to south-easterly, becoming moderate south-easterly along the west and south-west coast in the evening.
Cape Town: 10°C — 16°C
Vredendal: 7°C — 18°C
Riversdale: 8°C — 17°C
George: 8°C — 16°C
Worcester: 6°C — 16°C
Beaufort West: 5°C — 13°C
Oudtshoorn: 6°C — 16°C
Weather forecast for today & tomorrow: 17 - 18 July 2025.
Isolated to scattered rain & thundershowers are expected over the central, eastern and south-western parts of the country. With a possibility of damaging interior winds & damaging waves along the coastal areas. #saws pic.twitter.com/V5IfkXfuUA
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) July 17, 2025
Western half of the Eastern Cape: Morning fog over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to cold, but cloudy with isolated showers and rain along the coastal areas west of Gqeberha.
The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong south-westerly, becoming light to moderate from late afternoon.
Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Morning fog in the north-east, otherwise partly cloudy and cold, but cloudy with isolated to scattered showers and rain in the east. Very cold conditions are expected over the northern high ground.
The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly, reaching strong in places.
Gqeberha: 8°C — 18°C
Makhanda: 7°C — 15°C
Cradock: 2°C — 15°C
Graaff-Reinet: 2°C — 14°C
East London: 12°C — 19°C
Port St Johns: 14°C — 19°C
Mthatha: 8°C — 15°C
Komani: 1°C — 14°C
Qonce: 7°C — 17°C
KwaZulu-Natal: Partly cloudy and cool to cold with isolated showers and rain, but scattered along the coast and adjacent interior where it will be cloudy. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong southerly to south-westerly.
Durban: 16°C — 20°C
Richard's Bay: 17°C — 22°C
Pietermaritzburg: 09°C — 16°C
Ladysmith: 03°C — 19°C