Severe weather conditions are expected to affect several parts of South Africa on Monday, 12 January 2026, with multiple thunderstorm warnings issued.
The South African Weather Service (Saws) has also warned of potentially dangerous conditions across several provinces.
Weather warnings
Severe weather alerts have been issued for multiple areas.
An orange level six warning has been issued for the lowveld and escarpment areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, where persistent heavy rainfall may cause serious flooding, infrastructure damage, risks to life from fast-flowing water, and disruptions to essential services.
These conditions are expected to continue into Monday.
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An orange level five warning is in place for the extreme north-eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Sunday, with heavy rainfall likely to impact vulnerable roads, settlements, and services.
For the north-eastern areas of KZN, a yellow level four warning has been issued for Sunday, as thunderstorms may bring heavy rain, strong winds, lightning, and hail, potentially affecting infrastructure and communities.
Meanwhile, the eastern Highveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo falls under a yellow level two warning into Monday, with localised impacts expected in low-lying areas and on roads.
Very dangerous fire weather conditions are forecast across large areas of the country.
These include the southern parts of the Sarah Baartman District and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape, most of the Northern Cape, as well as the northern and central regions of the Western Cape, where fires could spread rapidly and be difficult to control.
Advisories
Across much of the Western and Northern Cape, temperatures are set to soar, creating hot to extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions.
Cooler conditions are expected only along the Western Cape’s south coast and in the Northern Cape’s Richtersveld area.
Provincial weather forecast:
Across the provinces, weather conditions will vary. Here’s what to expect in your province on Sunday, 11 January 2026.
Gauteng:
In Gauteng, the day will begin partly cloudy, turning mostly cloudy and warm, with the northern areas becoming hot.
The UVB index is expected to be low.
Mpumalanga:
Mpumalanga will start with morning fog along the escarpment, then remain cloudy with cool to warm temperatures.
Scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected, while the extreme west will see only isolated rainfall.
Limpopo:
In Limpopo, fog may form in the south-eastern regions in the morning.
The rest of the province will be cloudy and cool to warm, with isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms in the central and eastern areas, and more widespread rain across the Lowveld and escarpment.
North-West:
The North West province will begin fine, then become partly cloudy with warm to hot conditions.
Isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected in the eastern areas.
Free State:
Free State residents can expect morning fog in the east.
Otherwise, it will be partly cloudy and warm to hot, with isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible in the eastern parts.
Northern Cape:
In the Northern Cape, fog may appear along the coast in the morning and evening.
The province will otherwise be mostly sunny and hot to very hot, with partly cloudy skies in the east and central areas by afternoon.
Coastal winds will be light and variable.
Western Cape:
Western Cape will experience partly cloudy skies along the south coast, while the rest of the province remains mostly clear and warm to hot, with some areas experiencing very extreme heat.
Coastal winds will vary from light to moderate westerly or north-westerly in the north-west, and fresh to strong southerly to south-easterly along the south-west.
The UVB index is very high.
Eastern Cape (western half):
In the western half of the Eastern Cape, morning fog is expected in parts of the southern interior, with evening fog along the coast.
Otherwise, conditions will be clear and warm, becoming hot to very hot over the interior. Coastal winds will be moderate to fresh easterly.
Eastern Cape (eastern half):
The eastern half of the Eastern Cape will see morning fog in some interior and coastal areas. It will be mostly clear and warm, with hot to very hot conditions inland.
In the afternoon, skies will become partly cloudy, with isolated thunderstorms along the north-eastern escarpment.
Coastal winds will be moderate to fresh north-easterly.
KZN
In KZN, morning fog will affect interior areas, while the rest of the province will be cloudy and warm.
Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected, becoming widespread in the north.
Coastal winds will be moderate easterly to south-easterly north of Mtunzini in the morning, shifting to moderate to fresh northerly or north-easterly later. The UVB index is moderate.
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