SAWS Warns of Severe Rainfall and Possible Flooding for Limpopo and Mpumalanga

• Disruptive rainfall and thunderstorms are expected to hit most of South Africa as the rainy weather continues
• The South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned that parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga have been issued with a Yellow Level 1 warning
• Localised flooding, excessive lightning and possible hail are on the cards for residents in these two provinces

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

SOUTH AFRICA — The South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned that Limpopo and Mpumalanga will be hit by disruptive rainfall that could lead to flooding on 19 March 2025. It issued a Yellow Level 1 warning, days after floods ravaged KwaZulu-Natal, causing devastation.

What will happen in Mpumalanga and Limpopo?

According to SAWS, parts of South Africa are expected to experience a 60% chance of rain with risks of flooding and isolated thunderstorms in certain parts. Johannesburg and Pretoria in Gauteng and Klerksdorp will experience a 60% chance of showers. There's a possibility of reduced visibility on the roads. However, parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo have been cautioned to prepare for localised floods, excessive lightning, possible hail and heavy downpours.

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Parts of the North West, Free State and Limpopo will experience a 30% chance of rain, with expected thunderstorms occurring in the late afternoon. KwaZulu-Natal will still be hit by localised flooding from excessive rainfall. The Western Cape, Northern Cape and most of the Free State will not experience any rainfall for the day.

Recent weather conditions

The weather in the country has been, for the past few days, wet and cool. Conditions in parts of the country, including Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, have worsened over the past few days with floods hitting different parts of the country. KwaZulu-Natal suffered the most damage as informal settlements and infrastructure felt the brunt of the rainfall and floods. Basic services, including electricity and water, have been severely affected by the rainfall.

What you need to know about the recent floods

• Families in Durban, which were hit the hardest by the recent downpour, mourned the death of their loved ones who died during the floods in late January.
• Floods battered parts of Gauteng and the Free State as SAWS issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for the provinces and a Yellow Level 4 warning for damaging winds in the Western Cape.
• SAWS also issued a Yellow Level 4 warning for the South Coast on 15 March, where one woman died from the severe weather after her car was washed away.
• Members of a community in KwaZulu-Natal watched helplessly as one of the residents was washed away by the downpour.
• Rainfall was expected to continue hitting the province when the Weather Service issued another Yellow Level 2 warning for 17 March.

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SAWS warns that severe rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal expected to continue

KwaZulu-Natal Premier addresses floods

In a related article, Briefly News reported that KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli was concerned about the impact the floods left in the province. He visited residents of Inanda in Durban, where many lost all of their possessions.

He announced that the government would assist those who have been affected by the floods. However, South Africans expressed no hope in him, and a netizen questioned his efficiency.

Source: Briefly News