Today’s Weather [WATCH]: Clear inland with scattered showers and coastal rain – 3 September

South Africa wakes up to a real mix of conditions this Thursday, with clear, sunny skies stretching across Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, while the western and southern coasts feel decidedly wetter as rain showers move through Cape Town and Gqeberha. Inland provinces including the Free State, North West and Northern Cape can expect showers and thundershowers as temperatures climb into the high twenties, and Durban leads the warmth with a balmy high of 35 degrees. Several weather advisories are currently in place from the South African Weather Service, so it’s worth keeping an eye on local updates as the day unfolds.

🎬 7 Day Weather Forecast Video

⚠️ Weather Warnings

Weather Advisory (Warning Advisory), valid until 23:59 on 3 September.
Areas: Grabouw, Garies, Pofadder, Springbok, Worcester, Prince Albert, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Paarl, George, Redelinghuys, Swellendam.

• Very cold, wet and windy conditions (with maximum temperatures below 10 °C) over the high-lying areas.
• Disruptive rainfall leading to possible localised flooding over the south-eastern parts of the Western Cape.
• Damaging interior winds as well as gale force winds along the south-west and south coast.
• Damaging waves (reaching 4.5 to 5.5 m in places).

The public and small stock farmers are advised to take the necessary precaution to ensure the safety and health of their animals during very cold days. Limit outdoor activities and keep warm.

Weather Advisories

Impact-Based Warnings

• Yellow Level 4 Warning: Damaging wind and waves leading to disruption of ports/harbours and danger to navigation at sea is expected between Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay until Friday.
• Yellow Level 4 Warning: Damaging winds leading to interruptions to power, communication and/or other utilities and services, damage to settlement, injuries and danger to life from flying debris, problems for high-sided vehicles on prone routes due to cross winds, is expected over the Namakwa district (N. Cape), the Cape Winelands and the Central Karoo districts (W. Cape) until Friday.
• Yellow Level 4 Warning: Disruptive rainfall leading to flooding of roads and settlements and major disruption of traffic flow is expected over the eastern parts of the Overberg district, the Garden Route, Langeberg and Laingsburg municipalities of the Western Cape.
• Yellow Level 2 Warning: Disruptive rainfall leading to localised flooding of settlements, roads, low lying areas and bridges is expected in places along the south coast and the eastern parts of the Eastern Cape.
• Yellow Level 2 Warning: Severe thunderstorms leading to localized wind and hail damages to structures, falling trees and local fire incidents due to excessive lightning expected over the western parts of the Free State.
• Yellow Level 2 Warning: Damaging winds leading to damage to temporary structures, settlements, transport routes and travel services affected by wind, is expected over the western parts of Western Cape from the afternoon into Friday as well as over the northern interior of Eastern Cape.

Fire Danger Warnings

• Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the central parts of the country, including most parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

Advisories

• Cold to very cold, wet and windy conditions can be expected in places over the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape and the interior of the Western Cape on Friday (04/09/2026).

Moon Phase

🌗 Moon phase: Last Quarter: half lit and shrinking – the cycle’s three-quarter mark, a letting-go phase.

The Moon is about 64% illuminated tonight, on day 20.8 of its 29.5-day cycle. It rises at 01:30 and sets at 10:20 (SAST). Next full moon: Saturday 26 September · next new moon: Friday 11 September.

Weather by Province

Gauteng – Johannesburg

9°C to 26°C · clear skies · Rain 0% · light.

Feels like 23°C · humidity 20 to 45% · UV low · wind N at 10 km/h · cloud cover 5%.

SAWS regional outlook: Fine and warm. The expected UVB sunburn index: High.

• Pretoria: 11°C to 27°C · clear skies · wind NW at 10 km/h
• Soweto: 9°C to 26°C · clear skies · wind N at 10 km/h
• Vereeniging: 11°C to 26°C · clear skies · wind N at 15 km/h

Western Cape – Cape Town

12°C to 16°C · Rain showers · Rain 60% · strong SE.

Feels like 8°C · humidity 70 to 90% · UV low · wind SE at 25 km/h · cloud cover 75%.

SAWS regional outlook: Cloudy, windy and cool to cold with scattered showers and rain but widespread along the south coast and adjacent interior. Near-gale force winds are possible along the south-west and west coastlines as well as over the Central Karoo from the afternoon. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate easterly to north-easterly along the west and south-west coast in the morning, otherwise fresh to strong south-easterly reaching near gale force along the south-west and west coast from the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: Low.

• Stellenbosch: 7°C to 17°C · Rain showers · wind SE at 20 km/h
• Paarl: 8°C to 17°C · Rain showers · wind SSE at 15 km/h
• George: 12°C to 15°C · Rain showers · wind SSE at 15 km/h

KwaZulu-Natal – Durban

20°C to 35°C · partly cloudy · Rain 0% · fresh South South Westerly.

Feels like 36°C · humidity 40 to 85% · UV low · wind SSW at 20 km/h · cloud cover 25%.

SAWS regional outlook: Cloudy with morning fog along the south coast and adjacent interior, otherwise fine and warm to hot but very hot in places in the east. It will become partly cloudy to cloudy in the south by the evening with isolated showers and thundershowers in the extreme south. The wind along the coast will be light to moderate northerly to north-easterly, reaching fresh in the north at times, becoming fresh to strong southerly to south-westerly south of Richards Bay by the evening. The expected UVB sunburn index: Very High AND OR.

• Pietermaritzburg: 16°C to 34°C · partly cloudy · wind NW at 10 km/h
• Richards Bay: 19°C to 36°C · clear skies · wind N at 15 km/h
• Newcastle: 14°C to 30°C · mostly clear · wind NNW at 10 km/h

Eastern Cape – Gqeberha

15°C to 19°C · Rain showers · Rain 100% · fresh South South Easterly.

Feels like 15°C · humidity 75 to 90% · UV low · wind SSE at 20 km/h · cloud cover 75%.

SAWS regional outlook: Western half: Warm in places in the north, otherwise cloudy and cool with widespread showers and thundershowers, but scattered in the north. The wind along the coast will be fresh to strong southerly, but south-easterly in the afternoon. Eastern half: Fine and warm, becoming cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread along the coast and adjacent interior, south of Coffee Bay. The wind along the coast will be moderate south-westerly, becoming fresh southerly in the afternoon.

• East London: 17°C to 22°C · Rain showers · wind SSW at 15 km/h
• Mthatha: 13°C to 31°C · Rain showers · wind WNW at 10 km/h
• Queenstown: 13°C to 27°C · Rain showers · wind W at 15 km/h

Free State – Bloemfontein

10°C to 28°C · Showers and Thundershowers · Rain 30% · strong North Westerly.

Feels like 21°C · humidity 20 to 60% · UV moderate · wind NW at 25 km/h · cloud cover 50%.

SAWS regional outlook: Partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers.

• Bethlehem: 4°C to 25°C · Showers and Thundershowers · wind NW at 20 km/h
• Kroonstad: 11°C to 28°C · Showers and Thundershowers · wind N at 15 km/h

Limpopo – Polokwane

11°C to 28°C · clear skies · Rain 0% · light North Easterly.

Feels like 25°C · humidity 15 to 40% · UV low · wind NE at 10 km/h · cloud cover 5%.

SAWS regional outlook: Fine and warm but hot in places in the Lowveld and Limpopo Valley.

• Tzaneen: 11°C to 28°C · clear skies · wind NE at 5 km/h
• Thohoyandou: 13°C to 32°C · clear skies · wind NNE at 5 km/h
• Musina: 15°C to 33°C · clear skies · wind E at 10 km/h

Mpumalanga – Mbombela

14°C to 29°C · clear skies · Rain 0% · light North Easterly.

Feels like 25°C · humidity 15 to 50% · UV low · wind NE at 10 km/h · cloud cover 5%.

SAWS regional outlook: Fine and warm but hot in places in the Lowveld.

• eMalahleni: 10°C to 26°C · clear skies · wind NNW at 15 km/h
• Ermelo: 9°C to 26°C · clear skies · wind NNW at 10 km/h

North West – Mahikeng

11°C to 29°C · Showers and Thundershowers · Rain 30% · fresh North North Easterly.

Feels like 23°C · humidity 15 to 55% · UV moderate · wind NNE at 20 km/h · cloud cover 50%.

SAWS regional outlook: Partly cloudy and warm with isolated showers and thundershowers except the extreme east.

• Rustenburg: 11°C to 29°C · partly cloudy · wind NNW at 10 km/h
• Potchefstroom: 10°C to 28°C · Showers and Thundershowers · wind N at 20 km/h
• Klerksdorp: 9°C to 28°C · Showers and Thundershowers · wind N at 20 km/h

Northern Cape – Kimberley

16°C to 29°C · Showers and Thundershowers · Rain 30% · strong North North Westerly.

Feels like 24°C · humidity 25 to 60% · UV moderate · wind NNW at 25 km/h · cloud cover 50%.

SAWS regional outlook: Partly cloudy, windy and warm to hot with scattered showers and thundershowers in the west and extreme south but isolated in the eastern and southern parts. It will be cool to cold in the west. The wind along the coast will be moderate north-westerly, becoming fresh to strong south-easterly from mid-afternoon.

• Upington: 14°C to 21°C · partly cloudy · wind WSW at 20 km/h
• Springbok: 7°C to 12°C · Rain showers · wind W at 15 km/h
• De Aar: 15°C to 22°C · Showers and Thundershowers · wind WNW at 20 km/h

Tides & Sea Conditions

From the Weather Community

Forecast data: South African Weather Service (weathersa.co.za). Tide times: tide-forecast.com; sea state and modelled tides for Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, East London, Port Nolloth: Open-Meteo Marine (those heights are relative to mean sea level).