La Niña To Dampen Christmas As SAWS Predicts Damaging Thundershowers
- The South African Weather Service warned that Christmas would come with severe thunderstorms and flood-causing rainfall
- The weather phenomenon La Niña is expected to bring above-average temperatures for parts of the country from mid-December to April 2026
- SAWS also issued Yellow Level warnings for parts of South Africa in the days leading up to Christmas and New Year's Day
For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
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GAUTENG — The South African Weather Service (SAWS) said that La Niña, the weather phenomenon that will bring above-average temperatures, will bring storms for Christmas and New Year's Day.
SAWS held a press briefing at the National Press Club in Tshwane on 18 November 2025. SAWS discussed La Niña and the weather outlook for the country from December to 2026. SAWS said the weather for Christmas and New Year's Day is expected to range from hot and clear to cool and showery.
Weather for Christmas and New Year's Day
SAWS said that weather conditions will be partly cloudy and warm-to-cool in much of South Africa. The country will also experience isolated thundershowers and scattered showers, particularly in the eastern and central parts. Some mornings will be moist, with light showers in parts of South Africa. Thunderstorms are expected in the afternoons throughout the rest of the year. The thunderstorms will be accompanied by strong gusts of wind.
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The temperatures will also fluctuate during this period. Minimum temperatures will be higher than average, while maximum temperatures are expected to be lower than average. The north-eastern regions will experience a higher-than-average rainfall throughout the period.
What weather does El Niña cause?
La Niña is a pattern where the eastern and central parts of the Pacific Ocean become cool. The cooling results in a change in global weather and wind patterns. In South Africa, provinces including Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and parts of North West will experience higher-than-normal rainfall.
SAWS issues Yellow Level warnings
SAWS also issued Yellow Level warnings for the north-eastern parts of the country on 18 December 2025 and in the north-westerly parts of South Africa. Parts of Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga will experience Yellow Level 4 weather, which includes severe rainfall and thunderstorms. These provinces recently experienced severe thunderstorms on 10 December 2025. SAWS issued a Yellow-Level 2 warning for part of Limpopo, including Polokwane and Phalaborwa. Localised flooding in susceptible areas is expected.
A Yellow Level 2 Warning has been issued for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and the North West. These areas will experience severe thunderstorms, which will lead to flooding in susceptible areas. SAWS issued an Orange Level 4 warning for the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, which experienced severe thunderstorms on 17 and 18 December. Excessive rainfall and thunderstorms are expected to cause damage and flooding.
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Bodies found in KwaZulu-Natal after floods
In a related article, Briefly News reported that the bodies of two community members who went missing during the floods in KwaZulu-Natal were found. The bodies went missing when heavy rainfall washed away an informal settlement in the Midlands area on 23 November.
A team of rescuers, community members, and emergency management services personnel worked together and found the bodies on 3 December. The province had recently been hit by severe thunderstorms and rainfall.
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Source: Briefly News
