Overview
- The South African Weather Service, which issued the Orange Level 5 impact-based warning on Friday, set it as valid from 13:00 until midnight on Saturday, 14 November 2026.
- SAWS says the storms could bring heavy rain, flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds that may damage homes, vehicles, crops and critical infrastructure and cause power and communications outages.
- The warning covers parts of the Free State, KwaZulu‑Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and Limpopo and names interior towns at elevated risk such as Howick, Ladysmith, Newcastle and Ermelo.
- Authorities advise residents to monitor SAWS updates, avoid driving through flooded crossings, secure loose objects, move livestock to higher ground and expect road or bridge closures and longer travel times.
- Separate Yellow warnings spot coastal damaging winds near the City of Cape Town and extremely high fire danger in parts of the Northern Cape, Free State, North West and the south‑west Western Cape so people should follow local advisories and prepare for multiple hazards.