Terrifyingly Beautiful Scene Captured in Pretoria Night Sky as Storm Rolls Over City
- Jeepaholic Burger photographed dramatic lightning streaks over Pretoria's Moot area on Monday night
- Heavy thunderstorms swept through parts of Gauteng, bringing intense electrical activity and heavy cloud cover
- South Africans in the Reënval in SA group were captivated by the striking image, with many sharing their own storm experiences
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Source: Facebook
A Pretoria resident stopped South Africa in its tracks on Monday evening, 2 November 2026, when a dramatic image of lightning cutting across the city's skyline landed in the Reënval in SA Facebook group.
Jeepaholic Burger posted the photograph from the Moot area, looking south towards the Pretoria city centre, capturing multiple lightning bolts blazing across a heavy, cloud-choked sky during an intense electrical storm.
Storms sweep across Gauteng
The image was taken as thunderstorms rolled through several parts of the Gauteng metro on Monday night. Temperatures hovered between 19°C and 21°C, with a 71% chance of rain reported across parts of the region. Areas including Faerie Glen, Centurion, Moreleta, and Roodepoort all experienced heavy downpours and strong lightning, while some areas, like Pretoria North, saw mostly heat and wind with very little rainfall reaching the ground.
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Forecasters expected clearer and warmer conditions to follow on Tuesday, with highs climbing to around 30°C, before more warm, turbulent summer weather and afternoon thundershowers return to Gauteng over the coming days.
Mzansi reacts to the dramatic shot
The photograph drew hundreds of reactions on the Reënval in SA community group, which is dedicated to weather reporting and photography across South Africa. Members shared their own storm updates from across the region while admiring the image.
@Tanya Roos wrote:
"Skaars gereen meer wind en donderweer as reen [Barely rained, more wind and thunder than rain]. Baie mooi foto [Very beautiful photo] ❤️"
@Marina Louw said:
"Just magnificent."
@Mandy Kruger added:
"Electrifying beautiful 🤍"
@Anthony OReilly shared his own experience:
"Having this lightning and rain storm on the East Rand now. Refreshing rain, love it."
@Marie Clark noted conditions further afield:
"Witbank out of the blue huge storm with high temps no wonder vicious storms. But rain badly needed. Welcome hope cools down."
@Pieter Labuschagne reacted:
"Dit lyk awesome [It looks awesome]."
@Etienne O'Connell reported from Moreleta:
"Was nogal heavy hier in Moreleta. Het DSTV skoon uit geslaan [It was quite heavy here in Moreleta. Knocked out DSTV completely]. 😔"
@Nadena Grotius noted the storm's uneven reach:
"And yet, no rain came from Waverley to Riviera."
@Adri Engelbrecht shared from Wilgers:
"In Wilgers ook net n storm. Min reen maar darm het dit afgekoel [In Wilgers also just a storm. Little rain but at least it cooled down]."
See the photo here:
More on South Africa’s weather
- Briefly News recently reported on SAWS warning of extreme fire danger in the Northern Cape and a heatwave in the Eastern Cape.
- South Africans were urged to brace for severe storms as a yellow level four warning hit three provinces.
- A rare celestial lineup of the Moon, Mars and Jupiter lit up the early morning sky on 2 November 2026.
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Source: Briefly News
