Joburg hit by storms as Saws warns of record El Niño

Eight families were forced to evacuate their homes on Friday after severe winds ripped a large section of the roof off a decades-old apartment block in Linden, Johannesburg, during intense storms.

Emergency services evacuated the families from the building as the storm battered the area. No injuries were reported. Clean-up operations were under way on Saturday.

A storm warning was issued for Gauteng, which experienced cold, windy and wet weather conditions overnight. However, emergency services in the province said they had not received any reports of damage to properties as a result of the inclement weather.

Deputy national government spokesperson William Baloyi has advised residents across the country to take precautionary measures as severe weather conditions continue to develop.

“Provincial disaster management, traffic authorities, emergency services and other relevant stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation and will co-ordinate response measures in affected areas.

“The government urges members of the public, throughout the country, to remain vigilant and put safety first as weather conditions continue to evolve. Where possible, postpone non-essential travel until conditions have improved,” he said in an interview with the SABC.

The most serious conditions are forecast for the east-central parts of the Northern Cape, where Saws has issued an Orange Level 5 warning for severe thunderstorms

The warnings come as the South African Weather Service (Saws) escalates its severe weather warning to an Orange Level 5 for parts of the country, warning of dangerous thunderstorms, damaging winds, flooding and rough seas.

The most serious conditions are forecast for the east-central parts of the Northern Cape, where Saws has issued an Orange Level 5 warning for severe thunderstorms.

The storms could cause flooding of settlements, roads and bridges, while damaging winds and large hail may result in property damage. Falling trees, excessive lightning and disruptions to municipal services are also possible.

A broader Yellow Level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms is in place across:

• the central and eastern Northern Cape;
• western Free State;
• extreme western parts of the North West; and
• southern KwaZulu-Natal.

Residents in these areas have been warned of possible localised flooding, damaging winds, hail, falling trees and excessive lightning.

Rainfall probabilities range between 60% and 80% in the most affected regions, with the highest chances of rain expected over the central interior.

Saws has also issued several warnings relating to damaging winds:

• A Yellow Level 4 warning covers parts of the western Northern Cape, central and northeastern Western Cape, and most of KwaZulu-Natal. Strong winds in these areas could cause structural damage, flying debris and disruptions to utility services, while high-sided vehicles may face dangerous crosswinds.
• A separate Yellow Level 4 warning for damaging winds has been issued along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, where rough sea conditions could affect shipping and harbour activities.
• A Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging waves is also in place for the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, while other parts of the country remain at risk of disruptive weather.
• A Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging winds covers the western and southern parts of the Western Cape, northwestern Eastern Cape and southern and central Mpumalanga.

El Niño warning

The immediate severe weather warnings come against the backdrop of a longer-term concern raised by Saws: an exceptionally strong El Niño event developing in the Pacific Ocean that could have major consequences for South Africa over the coming months.

In a statement on September 1, Saws said the El Niño had already formed and was expected to intensify further during spring.

“A strong El Niño event has formed in the Pacific Ocean and is likely to become a very strong event this spring.”

The extent of expected heatwaves and water scarcity associated with the event will be closely monitored and communicated among disaster management structures, weather sensitive industries, the media and the public

—  SA Weather Service

The weather service said the latest predictions indicated the event could become exceptionally strong.

“The latest predictions are indicative that the El Niño will likely intensify further to become the strongest event in living memory. The latest forecasts indicate that the current event will very likely exceed the 3°C threshold.”

Saws highlighted the 1982/83 and 2015/16 events as two of the most impactful El Niño events for the region, both of which brought widespread drought.

“Most El Niño events bring conditions of below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures to the Southern African region.”

However, Saws cautioned that El Niño does not automatically translate into drought everywhere, pointing to the 1997/98 event, which was associated with slightly above-normal rainfall over parts of South Africa’s summer rainfall region.

”The warning also extends to possible water scarcity. The extent of expected heatwaves and water scarcity associated with the event will be closely monitored and communicated among disaster management structures, weather sensitive industries, the media and the public.”

Saws has urged residents and weather-sensitive industries to closely monitor its forecasts and prepare for potentially high-impact weather events.

“The public and weather sensitive industries are strongly advised to follow the monthly seasonal forecast updates and daily short-term weather forecasts to be prepared for heatwave conditions or other high impact weather events.”.

TimesLIVE