Cold overnight, hot in the day and some coastal rain on Thursday and a weekend weather warning

By Staff Writer
Published: 20 August 2025

This forecast is for: Thu 21 August 2025
The maps cover: Thu 21 Aug – Sat 23 Aug

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A dominant high-pressure system will result in fine and warm to hot conditions over the north-eastern provinces from Wednesday until at least Tuesday next week, but it will be cool to cold in the rest of the country with possible snowfall this weekend.

SEE ALSO: More snowfall possible for the Western Cape peaks this weekend.

South-westerly swells with wave heights between four and six meters is expected between Lambert's Bay and Plettenberg Bay on Saturday, spreading to Alexander Bay by Saturday evening and persisting into Sunday. Waves reaching seven meters can be expected between Cape Point and Plettenberg Bay on Saturday. Along with the high waves, north-westerly winds (50-65 km/h, gusting 75 km/h) can be expected between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas on Friday night, spreading to Plettenberg Bay on Saturday morning while becoming westerly to south-westerly. Winds will moderate from Saturday night. The strong winds and high wave heights will result in rough and choppy seas.

Warnings from the SA Weather Service for Thursday:

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the extreme north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape, the western parts of North West, north-eastern and central Free State, central Eastern Cape, northern KwaZulu-Natal, as well as southern Limpopo and southern Lowveld of Mpumalanga.

Warnings from the SA Weather Service for Friday:

level 2 warning for damaging waves leading to possible localised damage to coastal infrastructure are expected between Lambert's Bay and Plettenberg Bay from Friday night spreading to Alexander Bay by Saturday evening and persisting on Sunday.

Regional forecasts from the SA Weather Service for Thursday:

1. GAUTENG
Fine and warm
The expected UVB sunburn index: High

2. MPUMALANGA
Morning fog in the Lowveld, otherwise fine and warm to hot. It will be cool in places in the south.

3. LIMPOPO
Fine and warm to hot.

4. NORTH-WEST
Fine and warm.

5. FREE STATE
Fine and cool to warm.

6. NORTHERN CAPE
Fine and warm otherwise partly cloudy and cool in the south. Morning fog is expected in places in the west. The wind along the coast will be light and variable, but moderate southerly to south-westerly in the afternoon.

7. WESTERN CAPE
Partly cloudy and cold to cool with isolated showers and rain over the south western parts until the afternoon. It will become fine along the south coast from the evening. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh north-westerly to westerly but strong along the south coast until the afternoon and along the south-west coast from the evening.
The expected UVB sunburn index: Low

8. WESTERN HALF OF THE EASTERN CAPE
Morning fog in places over the interior, otherwise fine and cold to cool, but cloudy with light rain in places west of Jeffreys Bay. It will become partly cloudy in the afternoon. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly, reaching strong in places until the evening.

9. EASTERN HALF OF THE EASTERN CAPE
Cloudy in places along the Wild Coast in the morning, otherwise fine and cool, but partly cloudy along the coast from the afternoon. It will become cloudy south of the escarpment from the evening. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly, reaching strong in places.

10. KWAZULU-NATAL
Morning fog in places over the interior, otherwise fine and cool to warm. It will become partly cloudy from the east in the afternoon. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northerly to north-westerly in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly.
The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High

Travellers forecasts from the SA Weather Service for Thursday:

PRETORIA
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 8/28°C
The expected UVB Sunburn Index: High

JOHANNESBURG
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 9/28°C

VEREENIGING
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 5/27°C

MBOMBELA
Morning fog, otherwise fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 12/33°C

POLOKWANE
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 13/27°C

MAHIKENG
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 06/28°C

VRYBURG
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 01/28°C

BLOEMFONTEIN
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 02/24°C

KIMBERLEY
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 01/25°C

UPINGTON
Fine.
Minimum/Maximum: 06/25°C

CAPE TOWN
Partly cloudy with light rain until the afternoon.
Wind: Light to moderate north-westerly to westerly.
Minimum/Maximum: 12/16°C
The expected UVB Sunburn Index: Low

GEORGE
Partly cloudy.
Wind: Light north-westerly.
Minimum/Maximum: 12/18°C

GQEBERHA
Cloudy in the morning and evening, otherwise partly cloudy.
Wind: Moderate to fresh south-westerly, reaching strong from the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 12/20°C

EAST LONDON
Partly becoming cloudy in the evening.
Wind: Moderate to fresh south-westerly, becoming light to moderate in the evening.
Minimum/Maximum: 12/20°C

DURBAN
Fine to partly cloudy.
Wind: Light north-westerly at first, otherwise moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly.
Minimum/Maximum: 16/24°C
The expected UVB Sunburn Index: Very High

RICHARDS BAY
Fine to partly cloudy.
Wind: Light to moderate northerly to north-westerly in the morning, otherwise moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly.
Minimum/Maximum: 16/25°C

PIETERMARITZBURG
Morning fog patches, otherwise fine becoming cloudy in the evening.
Minimum/Maximum: 10/25°C

This forecast is usually updated a few times per day.

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