Wednesday's weather: Thunderstorms, rain, snow and hail as cold front sweeps across SA

News24

a day ago

Wet, cold, and windy conditions are forecast for most parts of the country, with hail and severe thunderstorms in the Northern Cape and Free State, according to the South African Weather Service (SAWS).
Snow is expected in parts of the Eastern Cape.
Impact-based warnings
- Yellow Level 1 warning: Damaging waves leading to localised disruption to beachfront activities is expected between Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay.
- Yellow Level 1 warning: Severe thunderstorms with large amounts of small hail resulting in localised damage to infrastructure, formal and informal settlements, vehicles, and livestock as well as localised loss of agricultural production are expected over the Free State and eastern parts of the Northern Cape.
Weather forecast for today & tomorrow, 05 - 06 August 2025.
Isolated to scattered rain & showers are expected over the south-western parts of the country, but expected to cover the eastern parts by tomorrow, 06 August 2025. #saws #weatheroutlook #southafricanweather pic.twitter.com/Bs2UMq5Pk2
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) August 5, 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.
Advisories
Very cold conditions with light snowfall are expected in places over the northern high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape.
The weather in your province
Gauteng: Partly cloudy and cool with isolated showers and thundershowers in the south.
Pretoria: 7°C — 23°C
Johannesburg: 6°C — 22°C
Vereeniging: 3°C — 20°C
Mpumalanga: Partly cloudy and cool with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the north. It will be warm in the Lowveld.
Mbombela: 8°C — 25°C
Ermelo: 5°C — 20°C
Emalahleni: 8°C — 21°C
Standerton: 0°C — 20°C
Skukuza: 4°C — 26°C
Limpopo: Fine and cool to warm, becoming partly cloudy in the south by evening.
Polokwane: 6°C — 24°C
Phalaborwa: 9°C — 28°C
Tzaneen: 7°C — 27°C
Musina: 9°C — 31°C
Lephalale: 7°C — 26°C
Mokopane: 6°C — 25°C
North West: Partly cloudy and cold to cool with isolated showers and thundershowers, except in the north-east. It will be cloudy in the south-west.
Klerksdorp: 5°C — 15°C
Potchefstroom: 4°C — 17°C
Mahikeng: 5°C — 15°C
Rustenburg: 5°C — 20°C
Vryburg: 4°C — 12°C
Free State: Cloudy and cold with scattered showers and thundershowers.
Bloemfontein: 6°C — 12°C
Welkom: 7°C — 14°C
Bethlehem: 3°C — 18°C
Northern Cape: Partly cloudy, windy, and cold, but cloudy in the east with isolated showers and thundershowers. Coastal winds: Light to moderate south-easterly.
Upington: 4°C — 14°C
Kimberley: 6°C — 12°C
De Aar: 6°C — 12°C
Alexander Bay: 9°C — 18°C
Springbok: 3°C — 11°C
Calvinia: 2°C — 12°C
Sutherland: -2°C — 09°C
Western Cape: Cloudy in the south-west, otherwise partly cloudy and cold. Coastal winds: Moderate to fresh westerly to south-westerly.
Cape Town: 11°C — 15°C
Vredendal: 7°C — 17°C
Riversdale: 9°C — 17°C
George: 9°C — 15°C
Worcester: 4°C — 16°C
Beaufort West: 5°C — 13°C
Oudtshoorn: 5°C — 16°C
Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and cold with scattered showers and rain, but isolated in the west. Coastal winds: moderate to fresh south-westerly.
Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy and very cold with scattered showers and rain. Light snowfall is likely over the northern high-lying areas. Coastal winds: moderate to fresh south-westerly.
Gqeberha: 9°C — 15°C
Makhanda: 6°C — 13°C
Cradock: 3°C — 10°C
Graaff-Reinet: 2°C — 10°C
East London: 13°C — 16°C
Port St Johns: 12°C — 16°C
Mthatha: 7°C — 12°C
Komani: 4°C — 10°C
Qonce: 10°C — 14°C
KwaZulu-Natal: Cloudy and cold to cool with isolated showers and thundershowers. It will be very cold with scattered showers and thundershowers in the south-west. Coastal winds: moderate northerly to north-westerly in the north, turning to moderate to fresh south-westerly elsewhere.
Durban: 17°C — 20°C
Richard's Bay: 17°C — 22°C
Pietermaritzburg: 9°C — 16°C
Ladysmith: 8°C — 20°C