News24.com | Weather warnings for heavy rain, flooding in several provinces

Rain is expected in certain parts of the country.

• Weather warnings have been issued for KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
• An Orange Level 9 warning was issued for heavy rains in parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
• An Orange Level 5 warning was issued for parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

Several provinces in the eastern part of the country have been warned to expect heavy rain and severe weather conditions.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued warnings for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

KwaZulu-Natal is expected to be affected severely. An Orange Level 9 warning for disruptive rainfall, leading to widespread flooding of roads and settlements, was issued by the SAWS.

The areas that are most likely to be affected include the Mkhambathini, Richmond and Msunduzi Local Municipalities, the eTthekwini Metro, iLembe and the eastern areas of King Cetswayo, as well as places in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality.

More than 50mm of rain is expected and this could lead to the flooding of roads and settlements as well as damage to infrastructure, the SAWS warned.

READ | KZN emergency teams on high alert after level 9 weather warning issued

In addition, an Orange Level 5 warning for disruptive rainfall leading to flooding was issued for the eastern parts of Mpumalanga, the interior of KwaZulu-Natal and the extreme eastern parts of the Eastern Cape.

The conditions are expected to continue into Friday.

A surface trough, steep upper air trough, and ridging high pressure system are expected to result in scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers in these areas.

Forecasters anticipate that as much as 60 to 90mm could fall in some areas.

A Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive rainfall, leading to localised flooding and poor driving visibility, was issued for the southern and central parts of Limpopo, western parts of Mpumalanga, the extreme eastern parts of the Free State and the western parts of the Eastern Cape.

These areas could see between 30 and 50mm of rain, according to the SAWS.