As the country heads into Summer, Gauteng residents have been warned to brace for scorching weather and hot temperatures during the weekend.
While the past few days has seen windy condition, Gauteng Weather said the mercury is expected to rise sharply with very hot conditions forecasted for Saturday and Sunday.
“Hot, very hot weekend,” said Gauteng Weather.
Johannesburg
The regional weather service said temperatures in Johannesburg are likely to start at a minimum of 13°C on Saturday, reaching a high of 30°C while Sunday it will be much hotter at 32°C.
Pretoria
Pretoria will see higher temperatures starting with a minimum of 15°C on Saturday reaching a high of 32°C, while Sunday the mercury is expected to hit a scorching 34°C.
Residents have been advised to stay out of the sun, use sunscreen lotion and keep hydrated.
High fire conditions
At the same time, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a warning of extremely high fire danger conditions over parts of North-West, Northern Cape, Free State and Limpopo.
The weather service has also forecasted fine and hot conditions across the rest of the country.
Dam Levels
With hotter temperatures expected, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has urged South Africans to use water sparingly, especially those living in the North West.
The department said water levels have dropped from last week’s 76.3% to 74.9% this week, across various dams in the province.
“When compared to a similar period last year, the overall storage capacity stood at 73.7%.”
Pressure on electricity grid
Meanwhile, scorching temperatures are likely to put pressure on electricity as residents use cooling devices including fans and air conditioners to keep the heat at bay.
On Thursday Eskom announced that load shedding will continue at stage 4 on Friday, but will then be reduced to stage 3 over the weekend following the delivery of diesel.
Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsa said the reduction in load shedding after diesel started at PetroSA’s facility in Mossel Bay.
“Transferring the fuel to the Gourikwa and Akerlig Open Cycle Gas Turbine stations will take place throughout the weekend to replenish by Monday.”
Earlier, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan during a media briefing to announce the new Eskom board also said it was likely that stage 4 would continue into next week.
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