Damaging waves are expected between Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape and Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape.
Kelly Cestari/World Surf League via Getty Images
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of damaging winds and waves in parts of the Western Cape and Northern Cape, while severe thunderstorms with hail, excessive lightning and heavy rain persist in four provinces.
Impact-based warnings
Yellow Level 4 warning: Severe thunderstorms leading to strong, damaging winds, hail, excessive lightning, and possible heavy downpours leading to flooding and damage to susceptible formal/informal settlements and infrastructure can be expected over the eastern and central parts of Limpopo, as well as the extreme north-eastern part of Mpumalanga.
Yellow Level 2 warning: Severe thunderstorms leading to localised flooding of susceptible roads, low-lying areas and bridges, as well as localised damage to infrastructure and informal settlements, can be expected over the central and western parts of Limpopo, most parts of Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North West.
Yellow Level 2 warning: Damaging winds and waves leading to disruption of ports/small harbour activities for a short period and difficulty in navigation at sea can be expected between Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape and Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape.
Weather forecast for today and tomorrow, 21-22 April 2026:
Partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers but widespread in the north-east ⚠️ Severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and waves.#saws #SAWeather #Warning pic.twitter.com/tm6sneZPDA— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) April 21, 2026
In the SAWS’ colour-coded weather warning system, yellow indicates a moderate risk of impact that requires caution and awareness, while orange indicates that a higher-risk impact is expected, requiring increased attention and preparation.
The SAWS uses the numbers to indicate the likelihood of weather-based impacts occurring. Levels 2 and 6 are high, and Level 4 is low.
The weather in your province
Gauteng: Cloudy and cool to warm with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in the extreme north.
Pretoria: 16 – 21°C
Johannesburg: 14 – 20°C
Vereeniging: 15 – 21°C
Mpumalanga: Warm in places over the Lowveld, otherwise cloudy and cool with widespread showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the south-west.
Mbombela: 17 – 19°C
Ermelo: 13 – 18°C
Emalahleni: 16 – 20°C
Standerton: 13 – 21°C
Skukuza: 20 – 29°C
Limpopo: Morning fog patches over the central and western parts, otherwise cloudy and cool to warm with widespread showers and thundershowers.
Polokwane: 18 – 21°C
Phalaborwa: 21 – 27°C
Tzaneen: 19 – 20°C
Musina: 22 – 28°C
Lephalale: 20 – 24°C
Mokopane: 19 – 24°C
North West: Morning fog patches, otherwise cloudy and cool, with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the east.
Klerksdorp: 13 – 22°C
Potchefstroom: 13 – 22°C
Mahikeng: 14 – 22°C
Rustenburg: 15 – 21°C
Vryburg: 12 – 23°C
Free State: Morning fog patches in places in the west, otherwise partly cloudy to cloudy and cool to warm, with isolated showers and thundershowers except in the south. It will be fine in the south-west.
Bloemfontein: 6 – 20°C
Welkom: 12 – 22°C
Bethlehem: 10 – 19°C
Northern Cape: Partly cloudy in the extreme south at first, where it will be cold, otherwise fine and cool to warm. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong south-easterly.
Upington: 8 – 24°C
Kimberley: 7 – 22°C
De Aar: 3 – 18°C
Alexander Bay: 11 – 23°C
Springbok: 8 – 22°C
Calvinia: 4 – 19°C
Sutherland: 4 – 12°C
Western Cape: Fine and cool in the west, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to cold but cloudy along the south coast and adjacent interior with light rain and showers by early morning.
The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-easterly, but moderate south-westerly along the south coast in the morning, becoming south-easterly in the afternoon.
Cape Town: 13 – 19°C
Vredendal: 8 – 22°C
Riversdale: 12 – 18°C
George: 11 – 16°C
Worcester: 11 – 18°C
Beaufort West: 7 – 16°C
Oudtshoorn: 7 – 17°C
Western half of the Eastern Cape: Cloudy to partly cloudy in the south with isolated showers and rain along the coast, otherwise fine and cool, but cold in places in the north.
The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong south-westerly, becoming moderate south-easterly in the afternoon.
Eastern half of the Eastern Cape: Fine and cool, becoming cloudy with isolated showers and rain along the coast and adjacent interior.
The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong south-westerly in the morning, becoming moderate from late morning.
Gqeberha: 9 – 19°C
Makhanda: 9 – 18°C
Cradock: 5 – 18°C
Graaff-Reinet: 5 – 18°C
East London: 12 – 19°C
Port St Johns: 14 – 19°C
Mthatha: 5 – 18°C
Komani: 3 – 17°C
Qonce: 10 – 19°C
KwaZulu-Natal: Morning fog over the Midlands, otherwise cloudy and cold to cool with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread along the coast and adjacent interior.
The wind along the coast will be moderate north-westerly in the extreme north at first, otherwise moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, reaching strong at times.
Durban: 18 – 23°C
Richards Bay: 19 – 25°C
Pietermaritzburg: 11 – 18°C
Ladysmith: 11 – 18°C
*This weather report was written with the support of Toqan AI.
