Johannesburg – The South African Weather Service (SAWS) is predicting heavy rains and thunderstorms.
The SAWS has issued an orange level 6 warning for today, Sunday, 11 January 2026, with anticipated impacts including flooding, damage to infrastructure and settlements, as well as injuries and danger to life.
A low-pressure system is currently located over the southern parts of Mozambique, which is expected to significantly influence weather conditions over north-eastern South Africa over the coming days.
“Current weather forecasts indicate that the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, the Limpopo Valley, and most eastern parts of Limpopo are likely to experience widespread and persistent rain and thunderstorms, up to at least Wednesday, or even beyond,” the SAWS said.
“For these regions, significant rainfall accumulations are expected throughout the week, beginning from Sunday evening.”
However, there was a possibility that warnings may be escalated to indicate the likelihood of severe impacts in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga from Monday, depending on the evolution of the system and forecast confidence.
The SAWS said it will continue to closely monitor this evolving weather system and provide regular updates to ensure public safety and preparedness.
“This weather system may also affect the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal from Tuesday, when heavy rains would be possible,” warned the SAWS.
“Members of the public and stakeholders are strongly urged to continuously monitor official SAWS forecasts and warnings, as warnings will be updated as the likelihood and severity of impacts become clearer.
“The public is also advised to remain cautious of unauthorised or unverified information sources and refrain from distributing such information further.”
For regular updates, please visit https://www.weathersa.co.za/ or follow SAWS official media channels.
