School starts tomorrow: What weather awaits pupils on their first day back?

As pupils across South Africa return to school, parents may want to check the weather before the morning school run and prepare for changing conditions by the afternoon pick-up.

KwaZulu-Natal needs particular attention, with severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and the risk of localised flooding forecast in parts of the province.

Severe thunderstorms could disrupt parts of KZN

A Yellow Level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms is in place over south-eastern KwaZulu-Natal.

Heavy downpours, damaging winds, hail and excessive lightning could hit the affected areas.

The conditions may cause localised flooding on susceptible roads, low-lying areas and bridges. They could also damage settlements and infrastructure.

Parents and motorists should take extra care if storms develop around the morning school run or afternoon journey home.

Back-to-school forecast across SA

Province	Morning	Later in the day
Gauteng	Partly cloudy and cool	Partly cloudy, warmer in the north
Mpumalanga	Cloudy in the east with isolated rain or showers	Partly cloudy and warm elsewhere
Limpopo	Cloudy with showers and thunderstorms in the east	Partly cloudy and warm elsewhere
North West	Fog patches in the north-east	Isolated showers and thunderstorms
Free State	Partly cloudy and cool to warm	Isolated showers and thunderstorms, windy in the far east and west
Northern Cape	Rain or showers in western and southern areas	Thunderstorms possible in the east
Western Cape	Cloudy to partly cloudy with rain in western areas	Rain spreads eastwards before clearing from the west
Eastern Cape	Partly cloudy in places initially	Showers and thunderstorms, with windy and cooler conditions developing
KwaZulu-Natal	Morning fog over the interior	Afternoon showers and thunderstorms, scattered in the south

Umbrellas may come in handy in several provinces

The first day back will not be wet everywhere, but several provinces could see rain or thunderstorms at some point during the day.

KwaZulu-Natal will experience very different conditions through the day.

Fog could reduce visibility over the interior during the morning, while temperatures will become warm to hot.

Clouds will build during the afternoon, bringing isolated showers and thunderstorms. Storms will become more widespread in the south, where the Yellow Level 2 severe thunderstorm warning requires extra attention.

Parents should keep an eye on updated forecasts, particularly before the afternoon school pick-up, as thunderstorms can quickly change travelling conditions.