Eight families evacuated in Johannesburg due to storm — TimesLIVE
In Johannesburg, South Africa, eight families were evacuated from an apartment building in the Linden area after strong winds during a storm tore off a significant part of its roof. No one was injured, and cleanup work continued at the site on Saturday, TimesLIVE reports.
Warning for Gauteng
A storm warning was issued for Gauteng province after a cold, windy and rainy night. At the same time, the province's emergency services said they had received no reports of property damage caused by the severe weather.
Deputy national government spokesperson William Baloyi urged residents to take precautionary measures and, where possible, postpone non-essential travel until weather conditions improve. According to him, disaster management services, road authorities, emergency services and other relevant structures are monitoring the situation and will coordinate the response in affected areas.
Thunderstorms, hail and strong winds
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a level 5 orange warning for severe thunderstorms in the east-central areas of the Northern Cape province. Flooding of settlements, roads and bridges is forecast there, while gusty winds and large hail may damage property. Falling trees, excessive lightning and disruptions to municipal services are also possible.
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A level 4 yellow warning for severe thunderstorms is in effect in the central and eastern parts of the Northern Cape province, western Free State, the far west of the North West province, and southern KwaZulu-Natal. In the most affected regions, the probability of precipitation ranges from 60% to 80%, with the highest likelihood over the country's central inland areas.
SAWS also issued yellow warnings for strong winds for parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces and most of KwaZulu-Natal. Along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, strong winds and hazardous sea conditions may affect shipping and port operations; a separate level 2 warning for damaging waves is in effect there.
Risk of a strong El Niño
Separately, SAWS said that the El Niño phenomenon, which has already formed in the Pacific Ocean, is likely to intensify in spring. In a statement dated September 1, the service said it could become the strongest in living memory and is forecast to exceed the 3°C threshold.
The weather service recalled that most El Niño events bring below-normal rainfall and higher temperatures to southern Africa. However, this does not mean drought in all areas: SAWS cited the 1997–1998 event, when parts of South Africa's summer rainfall region received slightly above-normal precipitation. The service plans to monitor the risks of heatwaves and water shortages.
