Johannesburg – Extreme thunderstorms are expected later on Monday in parts of North West, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng, WeatherSA said on Monday.

Western parts of Gauteng, including Carletonville and Westonaria, would be affected, said WeatherSA forecaster Dipuo Tawana.

“People in Gauteng must be aware… We are expecting [thunderstorms and severe thunderstorms] to pop up in other places overnight.”

The City of Johannesburg’s emergency management services said it was already on high alert and was monitoring critical areas such as Diepsloot, Alexandra, Ivory Park and parts of Soweto, including Kliptown, Orlando, Tladi, and Dlamini.

“Those are most of the [places] where we respond to flooding and drowning incidents,” said Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.

“We have automated rainfall [monitoring] systems in those areas to inform us if we need to inform residents of whether they need to evacuate… We hope the community will adhere to our call when we [make it].”

Hail, lightning, strong winds and heavy downpours were also expected in western parts of Standerton, moving towards Secunda, Tawana said.

“We are expecting a downpour which will lead to localised flooding and gusty winds.”

Parts of the Free State would also be affected by a thunderstorm, which started in Potchefstroom around two in the afternoon, Tawana said.

“North-eastern parts of the Eastern Cape and western parts of KwaZulu-Natal, including Newcastle and Ladysmith, would be affected,” Tawana said.

The Northern Cape, Western Cape and most parts of Limpopo would not be affected.

The rainy weather could continue until Thursday.

– Experiencing bad weather? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.

– SAPA