SATURDAY WEATHER: Chilly overnight but hot in the day and a thunderstorm warning for the north-east

By Staff Writer
Published: 2 January 2026 [updated 3 January]

This forecast is for: Sat 03 January 2026
The maps cover: Sat 03 Jan – Sat 03 Jan


The latest forecast is available by clicking here.

It will be chilly overnight but hot in the day on Saturday.

Warnings from the SA Weather Service for Saturday:

A. level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours leading to flooding and damages to susceptible settlements and infrastructure, strong damaging winds, large amounts of small hail and excessive lightning are expected in places over Gauteng (except for the extreme south), northern and central parts of the Mpumalanga Highveld, as well as the south-western and south-central parts of Limpopo.

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Nama Khoi Municipality in the Northern Cape.

Regional forecasts from the SA Weather Service for Saturday:

GAUTENG
Partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the north. It will be hot in the extreme north.

MPUMALANGA
Cloudy at first with light rain and drizzle in places in the east, where it will be cool in places, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers.

LIMPOPO
Cloudy at first with light rain and drizzle in places in the east, becoming partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers by the afternoon.

NORTH-WEST
Morning fog in the extreme north-east, otherwise partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers but scattered in the east.

THE FREE STATE
Partly cloudy and warm to hot, with isolated showers and thundershowers in the east, where morning fog is expected.

THE NORTHERN CAPE
Morning fog along the coast, otherwise fine and warm to hot, becoming partly cloudy, with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers in the north. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly.

THE WESTERN CAPE
Partly cloudy and warm to hot but cloudy with light rain along the south coast and adjacent interior. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-easterly but strong along the south-west coast from the afternoon.

THE WESTERN HALF OF THE EASTERN CAPE
Cloudy with light rain in places along the coast. otherwise partly cloudy and warm. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly, becoming moderate south-easterly in the afternoon.

THE EASTERN HALF OF THE EASTERN CAPE
Cloudy with isolated showers and rain in places south of the escarpment, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm. Isolated thundershowers are possible in the north-east. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh south-westerly, becoming moderate south-easterly in the afternoon.

KWAZULU-NATAL
Morning fog over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, becoming strong in the afternoon.

Travellers forecasts from the SA Weather Service for Saturday:

PRETORIA
Partly cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 15/29°C

JOHANNESBURG
Partly cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 15/28°C

VEREENIGING
Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 14/28°C

MBOMBELA
Cloudy in the morning with light rain, otherwise partly cloudy with scattered afternoon showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 16/24°C

POLOKWANE
Cloudy at first, otherwise partly cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 18/27°C

MAHIKENG
Fine, becoming partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 17/32°C

VRYBURG
Partly cloudy with isolated afternoon showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 16/33°C

BLOEMFONTEIN
Partly cloudy.
Minimum/Maximum: 16/31°C

KIMBERLEY
Fine, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 18/34°C

UPINGTON
Fine, becoming partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 22/36°C

CAPE TOWN
Partly cloudy.
Wind: Light to moderate southerly to south-easterly, becoming fresh to strong from the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 20/28°C

GEORGE
Cloudy with light rain.
Wind: Light and variable, becoming moderate southerly to south-easterly from the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 17/25°C

GQEBERHA
Partly cloudy, becoming cloudy in the afternoon.
Wind: Moderate to fresh south-westerly, becoming moderate south-easterly in the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 17/26°C

EAST LONDON
Cloudy with isolated morning showers.
Wind: Moderate to fresh south-westerly, becoming moderate south-easterly in the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 19/25°C

DURBAN
Fine, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Wind: Moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, becoming strong in the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 20/27°C

RICHARDS BAY
Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Wind: Moderate to fresh southerly to south-westerly, becoming strong in the afternoon.
Minimum/Maximum: 22/28°C

PIETERMARITZBURG
Partly cloudy with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Minimum/Maximum: 14/24°C

This forecast is usually updated a few times per day.



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