Saturday’s weather: severe thunderstorms and heatwave in Eastern Cape

The South African Weather Service has issued warnings for severe thunderstorms and a heatwave in the Eastern Cape. Expect partly cloudy and warm to very hot conditions, with isolated showers and thunderstorms in the region until Sunday. The weather service's latest forecast for Saturday, October 31, 2026, includes yellow level 1 warnings for severe thunderstorms that could cause localized damage to settlements and property, along with disruptions to power supply and communications.

Fire danger warnings are also in effect for extremely high fire danger conditions in the central and eastern parts of the Northern Cape, and western parts of Free State and North West. Residents of Eastern Cape's Chris Hani and Alfred Nzo municipalities can expect persistently high temperatures during a heatwave until Sunday. The provincial weather forecast advises precautions against prolonged sun exposure due to very high UVB sunburn indices in various provinces.