SA weather: Heatwave to continue in parts of the country until Friday - IOL

SAWS has warned of a prolonged heatwave and extremely high fire danger conditions across several parts of South Africa on Wednesday, November 11.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned that a heatwave will continue across several parts of the country on Wednesday with persistently high temperatures expected to last until Friday.

The heatwave is expected to affect North West, most parts of the Free State, southern Gauteng and north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape.

SAWS has also issued warnings for extremely high fire danger conditions across several provinces, raising concerns about the potential for veld fires amid the hot and dry weather.

Despite the soaring temperatures, no impact-based severe weather warnings have been issued for Wednesday.

According to SAWS, North West and the Free State, excluding its south-western parts, will experience persistently high temperatures until Friday.

Southern Gauteng and north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape will also be affected by the heatwave.

Gauteng is expected to experience partly cloudy and warm to hot conditions, with a very high ultraviolet (UVB) sunburn index.

North West will be fine and hot to very hot, becoming partly cloudy in the eastern parts during the afternoon.

Similar conditions are forecast for the Free State, where fine and hot to very hot weather will dominate before clouds develop in the east later in the day.

SAWS has warned of extremely high fire danger conditions over the Northern Cape, eastern parts of North West and the Free State, and north-eastern parts of the Western Cape.

The warning also extends to parts of the South-Western Bushveld in Limpopo.

In the Eastern Cape, the Dr Beyers Naudé, Inxuba Yethemba and Walter Sisulu local municipalities are among the areas expected to experience extremely high fire danger conditions.

The hot and dry conditions could increase the risk of veld fires, particularly in areas with dry vegetation.

Limpopo is expected to remain fine and hot to very hot, with partly cloudy conditions developing in the south-west during the afternoon.

Mpumalanga will experience fog patches across most parts of the province before conditions become fine and warm to hot.

The extreme western parts of Mpumalanga will experience partly cloudy conditions.

The Northern Cape will experience cloudy conditions with morning fog patches along the coast and adjacent interior.

Elsewhere in the province, conditions will be fine and hot to very hot, although western areas will be warm in places.

Fresh to strong south to south-easterly winds are expected along the coast.

In the Western Cape, partly cloudy to cloudy and cool to warm conditions are forecast for the extreme south-west, spreading along the south coast and adjacent interior from the afternoon.

The remainder of the province will experience fine and hot weather, with a high UVB sunburn index.

The Eastern Cape will experience predominantly fine and warm to hot conditions, with very hot temperatures expected in places in the northern parts of the western half.

Cloud cover is expected to increase in southern areas during the late afternoon.

The eastern half of the province will become partly cloudy in places south of the escarpment during the afternoon.

KwaZulu-Natal will experience fine and warm conditions, becoming partly cloudy in the south during the afternoon.

Moderate to fresh northerly to north-easterly winds are expected along the coast, shifting to south-westerly in the south during the afternoon and spreading towards Mtunzini by evening.

The province is also expected to experience an extreme UVB sunburn index, increasing the risk of sunburn during outdoor activities.

Residents in heatwave-affected areas are advised to remain hydrated, limit prolonged exposure to direct sunlight and exercise caution when using open flames in areas experiencing elevated fire danger.