Monday weather: Heavy rain, severe storms, and damaging winds to lash parts of SA - IOL

Heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and damaging winds are forecast across parts of South Africa on Monday.

South Africans in several provinces are being warned to brace for a wet and potentially disruptive start to the week, with heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and damaging winds forecast for Monday.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a series of impact-based warnings for Monday, September 14, with the most serious being a Yellow Level 4 warning for disruptive rain over parts of the Western and Northern Cape.

The warning comes as widespread rain and thunderstorms are forecast across large parts of the western and central regions of the country.

According to the SAWS, there is an 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms across a broad area stretching from parts of the Western Cape into the Northern Cape.

A 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms extends across other parts of the Northern Cape and into the central interior, while parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have a 30% chance of rain.

Isolated showers are also expected over parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where the chance of rain is around 30%.

The Yellow Level 4 disruptive rain warning covers an area extending across parts of the Western Cape and into the Northern Cape. SAWS warns that the rainfall could cause flooding of roads and settlements and major disruption to traffic.

A Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms has also been issued across parts of the Northern and Western Cape.

The storms could result in localised flooding of susceptible roads, low-lying areas and bridges, as well as localised damage to settlements in exposed areas.

A Yellow Level 1 severe thunderstorm warning is in place over a section of the Eastern Cape, where storms could damage settlements and temporary structures and cause localised interruptions to electricity and communication services.

Strong winds will add to Monday's difficult weather conditions.

A Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging winds covers a vast stretch of the interior, including parts of the Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Limpopo. The weather service warns of localised damage to settlements.

Along sections of the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coastline, Yellow Level 1 and Level 2 damaging wind warnings are in place.

The Level 2 coastal warning includes a risk to the navigation of small boats and vessels and possible disruption to small harbours, ports and beachfront activities.

Elsewhere along the affected coastline, damaging winds could cause localised damage to settlements, interruptions to power and communications and difficult navigation conditions.