The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms in parts of the country, including Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo.
Saws forecasts showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday, cautioning that some of these may escalate into severe conditions, bringing heavy downpours, excessive lightning, hail, and strong winds. The potential severity of these storms raises concerns about localized flooding in low-lying areas, roads, and bridges.
KwaZulu-Natal is also on alert for heavy rains, adding to the weather challenges experienced across the nation during the festive season and the beginning of 2024. South Africans have grappled with extreme weather events such as heavy rains, floods, snowfall, hailstorms, and tornadoes.
In a recent incident reported by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), a woman went missing in Rivonia after her car was swept away in flash floods. The NSRI conducted a search, finding the vehicle but not the occupant, suspected to have been carried downstream in the flash floods.
Another incident involved a man whose car was swept away while crossing a low-lying bridge at the Jukskei River. The NSRI reported that the man escaped the vehicle but became trapped on a rock bed surrounded by fast-flowing water, necessitating a rescue operation.