Today's weather: Severe storms, extreme heat, and fire danger across SA

South Africans are in for a day of mixed and potentially hazardous weather, with severe thunderstorms in the east, extreme heat in parts of the interior, and very high fire danger in the west and central regions.

The South African Weather Service warns that conditions will vary sharply from province to province, with some areas facing heavy rain while others bake under intense heat.

Gauteng will be partly cloudy and warm, turning hot in the extreme north. Scattered showers and thundershowers are expected later, with a high chance of rain and the risk of heavy downpours, strong winds, lightning, and hail.

Similar stormy conditions are forecast over the Highveld and Escarpment of Mpumalanga, southern and western Limpopo, and the eastern parts of North West and the Free State. Rain chances here range from about 30% in the west to around 60% and locally higher in the east.

Mpumalanga will see morning fog along the escarpment and western Lowveld, followed by cloudy and warm conditions with scattered showers and thundershowers. Rain chances are highest over the escarpment and Highveld, while the Lowveld will be hotter with only isolated showers.

Limpopo will also start with fog along the southern escarpment before turning cloudy and warm to hot, with scattered storms over most areas and lower rain chances in the Lowveld and Limpopo Valley.

In North West and the Free State, the day begins fine and becomes partly cloudy and hot. Isolated showers and thundershowers are expected, becoming more scattered over the extreme east. The eastern Free State has a better chance of rain, while the far southwest remains dry.

The Northern Cape stays mostly dry, with hot to very hot conditions inland and cloudy, warm weather along the coast in the morning. Extremely high fire danger is expected over large parts of the province, as well as areas of the Free State, the North West and the Central Karoo.

The Western Cape will have morning fog over southern and western parts, then turn partly cloudy and warm to hot, becoming very hot over the Central Karoo. Along the south coast it will be cloudy with isolated showers and rain, giving coastal areas a lower but notable chance of rainfall around 30%.

The Eastern Cape splits in two. The western half will be fine and hot to very hot, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon with isolated thundershowers in the north.

The eastern half will be cloudier with morning fog south of the escarpment, then warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers that become more scattered in the east, pushing rain chances up to around 60%.

KwaZulu-Natal will start with fog patches over the interior, then turn hot to very hot. It becomes partly cloudy in the afternoon with isolated showers and thundershowers, becoming more widespread in the northwest.

Coastal and eastern parts face extremely uncomfortable and humid conditions, with rain chances around 30% in the south and higher in the north.

With severe storms, heat waves and fire danger all in play, residents are urged to stay weather aware, avoid flooded roads, secure loose items, and take precautions against heat and fire risk.

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