The South African·South Africa·Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 04:05 AM UTC

WEATHER TODAY: Damaging storms lash western KZN, heat wave on Mpumalanga Highveld

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Thandi Mokoena

A Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours, damaging winds and localised flooding is in place for Ladysmith, Estcourt, Underberg, Utrecht, Dannhauser and Ekuvukeni from 07:00 to 21:59. Musina is the hottest place at 38°C, and Gqeberha is the wettest with an 80% chance of rain. Extremely high fire danger is expected over the central interior, most of Gauteng and Limpopo, and parts of western Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.

Weather warnings for Sunday 18 October

SAWS has 2 weather warnings in force for Sunday, the highest warning level 2 for severe thunderstorms. Tap a warning to see the areas and what to do.

Yellow level 2

Severe Thunderstorms

Where

Escourt, Ekuvukeni, Ladysmith, Dannhauser + 17 more

When

Sun 07:00 to 21:59

Areas: Escourt, Ekuvukeni, Ladysmith, Dannhauser, Underberg, Utrecht, Dundee, Kokstad, Impendle, Donnybrook, Goodhom, Giants Castle, Mooi River, Pomeroy, Newcastle, Royal National Park, Richmond, Pietermaritzburg, Ixopo, Howick, Umzimkhulu.

Localised damage to infrastructure and settlements.
Localised flooding of susceptible roads and bridges.
Minor motor vehicle accidents due to slippery roads and poor visibility.
Difficult driving conditions on dirt and slippery roads.
Large amounts of small hail/ large hail over an open area.

What to do: Take caution or avoid traveling on bridges and roads in low lying areas as these may be susceptible to flooding and there may be sinkholes. Avoid outdoor activities as lightning, hail and flooding may result in injuries and death. If possible, stay indoors well clear of windows, shelter pets, and cover vehicles. Move livestock and cars to safe sheltered areas as there may be flying debris.

Warning Advisory

Weather Advisory

Where

Standerton, Skukuza, Piet Retief, Barberton + 8 more

When

valid until 23:59 on 19 October

Areas: Standerton, Skukuza, Piet Retief, Barberton, Nelspruit, Ermelo, Amersfoort, Witbank, Secunda, Carolina, Middelburg, Machadodorp.

Persistently high temperatures affect the humans ability to cool their bodies through sweating. This can be a real threat that leads to heat related illness such as hyperthermia, heat stroke and respiratory conditions.
In an extremely hot environment, the serious health and safety concern is heat stroke.

What to do: – stay hydrated, limit outdoor activities during the hottest time of the day, wear appropriate clothing, and keep an eye on vulnerable Individuals.

SAWS advisory

Impact-Based Warnings

What

1 item, tap to read

Yellow Level 2 Warning: Severe Thunderstorms with heavy downpours, damaging winds resulting in localised damage to infrastructure and settlements, localised flooding of susceptible roads and bridges is expected over the western and southern interior of KwaZulu-Natal.

SAWS advisory

Fire Danger Warnings

What

1 item, tap to read

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the central interior, in places in western Mpumalanga and in places in Eastern Cape as well as most places in Gauteng and Limpopo.

SAWS advisory

Advisories

What

2 items, tap to read

A heat wave with persistently high temperatures is expected in places on the Mpumalanga Highveld and southern parts of the Mpumalanga Lowveld, persisting until Monday.
Very hot to Extremely hot temperatures will result in uncomfortable conditions in places in the Mpumalanga Lowveld, and across Limpopo on Monday.

Moon tonight

First Quarter

51% lit

The moon tonight is a first quarter, about 51% lit, and the next full moon is on Monday 26 October.

Weather today by province, Sunday 18 October

View 7-Day Weather ForecastView the weather tomorrow on the 7-Day Weather Forecast

Each province lists its main towns with today’s sky, low and high, rain chance and wind; every province starts closed, tap one to open it. Tide times are inside Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Today Johannesburg peaks at 32°C.

Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, Vereeniging

Hot and dry, with Pretoria reaching 35°C, Soweto 33°C and Johannesburg and Vereeniging 32°C under partly cloudy skies. No rain is expected and fire danger is extremely high in most places.

Johannesburg today

Partly cloudy32°14°0%N 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Gauteng

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Johannesburg	Partly cloudy	14°	32°	0%	N 10
Pretoria	Partly cloudy	17°	35°	0%	NE 10
Soweto	Partly cloudy	15°	33°	0%	N 10
Vereeniging	Partly cloudy	15°	32°	0%	N 10

Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Paarl, George · tides

George has a 60% chance of rain showers and only 14°C, while Stellenbosch and Paarl have a 30% chance and 17°C to 18°C. Cape Town is cloudy and dry, from 13°C to 18°C.

Cape Town today

Cloudy18°13°0%SSE 15 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Western Cape

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Cape Town	Cloudy	13°	18°	0%	SSE 15
Stellenbosch	Rain showers	10°	17°	30%	SSE 10
Paarl	Rain showers	12°	18°	30%	SSE 5
George	Rain showers	12°	14°	60%	SSW 10

Tides: Cape Town

Day	Low tide	High tide
Sun 18 Oct	01:15, 14:30	08:04, 20:27

Mpumalanga and Limpopo next today: Mbombela reaches 32°C and Polokwane reaches 31°C.

Mbombela, eMalahleni, Ermelo

A heat wave holds in places on the Highveld and the southern Lowveld, and a weather advisory covers Ermelo, Standerton, Piet Retief, Barberton, Nelspruit and Skukuza. Mbombela and eMalahleni reach 32°C, Ermelo 29°C, all dry.

Mbombela today

Partly cloudy32°17°0%NE 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Mpumalanga

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Mbombela	Partly cloudy	17°	32°	0%	NE 10
eMalahleni	Partly cloudy	16°	32°	0%	NNW 15
Ermelo	Partly cloudy	14°	29°	0%	NNE 10

Polokwane, Tzaneen, Thohoyandou, Musina

Very hot and dry, with clear skies over Musina at 38°C and Tzaneen and Thohoyandou at 35°C, while Polokwane is partly cloudy at 31°C. Fire danger is extremely high in most places.

Polokwane today

Partly cloudy31°19°0%NE 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Limpopo

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Polokwane	Partly cloudy	19°	31°	0%	NE 10
Tzaneen	Clear	16°	35°	0%	ENE 10
Thohoyandou	Clear	18°	35°	0%	E 10
Musina	Clear	19°	38°	0%	E 10

North West and Free State follow today: Mahikeng reaches 35°C and Bloemfontein reaches 32°C.

Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp

Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp all climb to 35°C under partly cloudy skies, with morning lows of 15°C to 17°C. No rain is expected anywhere.

Mahikeng today

Partly cloudy35°16°0%NNW 15 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close North West

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Mahikeng	Partly cloudy	16°	35°	0%	NNW 15
Rustenburg	Partly cloudy	17°	35°	0%	N 10
Potchefstroom	Partly cloudy	15°	35°	0%	NNW 15
Klerksdorp	Partly cloudy	16°	35°	0%	NNW 15

Bloemfontein, Bethlehem, Kroonstad

Bloemfontein has a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers, from 14°C to 32°C, and Bethlehem a 30% chance with a high of 32°C. Kroonstad stays dry and warm at 34°C.

Bloemfontein today

Rain, storms32°14°60%NW 20 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Free State

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Bloemfontein	Rain, storms	14°	32°	60%	NW 20
Bethlehem	Rain, storms	10°	32°	30%	NW 10
Kroonstad	Partly cloudy	16°	34°	0%	NW 10

Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal close the list today: Kimberley reaches 33°C, Gqeberha reaches 19°C and Durban reaches 26°C.

Kimberley, Upington, Springbok, De Aar · tides

Kimberley, Upington and De Aar each have a 30% chance of showers and thundershowers, with highs of 33°C, 30°C and 29°C. Springbok is cloudy, dry and much cooler at 20°C.

Kimberley today

Rain, storms33°17°30%WNW 20 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Northern Cape

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Kimberley	Rain, storms	17°	33°	30%	WNW 20
Upington	Rain, storms	15°	30°	30%	W 15
Springbok	Cloudy	12°	20°	0%	SW 15
De Aar	Rain, storms	14°	29°	30%	WNW 20

Tides: Port Nolloth (modelled)

Day	Low tide	High tide
Sun 18 Oct	00:54, 14:00	07:22, 19:47

Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Queenstown · tides

Gqeberha has an 80% chance of rain showers and a high of 19°C. East London and Mthatha have a 60% chance, with highs of 22°C and 23°C, and Queenstown a 60% chance of thundershowers at 24°C.

Gqeberha today

Rain showers19°15°80%ESE 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Eastern Cape

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Gqeberha	Rain showers	15°	19°	80%	ESE 10
East London	Rain showers	17°	22°	60%	ENE 15
Mthatha	Rain showers	16°	23°	60%	ESE 10
Queenstown	Rain, storms	13°	24°	60%	E 5

Tides: Gqeberha

Day	Low tide	High tide
Sun 18 Oct	01:07, 13:44	07:57, 20:05

Tides: East London

Day	Low tide	High tide
Sun 18 Oct	01:08, 13:43	07:38, 19:37

Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Newcastle · tides

A Level 2 severe thunderstorm warning covers Ladysmith, Estcourt, Underberg, Utrecht, Dannhauser and Ekuvukeni from 07:00 to 21:59. Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Newcastle have a 60% storm chance and highs of 26°C, 29°C and 35°C; Richards Bay is dry at 35°C.

Durban today

Rain, storms26°20°60%E 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close KwaZulu-Natal

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Durban	Rain, storms	20°	26°	60%	E 10
Pietermaritzburg	Rain, storms	16°	29°	60%	E 10
Richards Bay	Cloudy	19°	35°	0%	NE 10
Newcastle	Rain, storms	15°	35°	60%	NE 10

Tides: Durban

Day	Low tide	High tide
Sun 18 Oct	00:58, 13:24	07:22, 19:27

View the 7-Day Weather ForecastView the weather tomorrow on the 7-Day Weather Forecast

Forecast data: the South African Weather Service and other third-party sources and providers, brought together with the latest AI tools. We take great care to get every figure right, but mistakes are possible.

More weather news, warnings and forecasts are on The South African’s weather page.

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