WEATHER TODAY: Heat wave in Limpopo’s Western Bushveld, slight rain for Cape Town

Weather for Wednesday: Richards Bay climbs to 36°C and Musina to 35°C, while Gauteng, the Free State and North West stay dry under mostly clear to partly cloudy skies.

Oct 21, 2026 - 05:34

WEATHER TODAY: Heat wave in Limpopo’s Western Bushveld, slight rain for Cape Town

A heat wave is expected in the Western Bushveld of Limpopo, and fire danger is extremely high over most of North West, the southern Northern Cape and the Central Karoo, with a veld fire warning for Rustenburg, De Aar and Beaufort West from 07:00 to 18:59. Richards Bay is the hottest at 36°C, while Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Paarl have a 60% chance of slight rain and the rest of the country stays largely dry.

Weather warnings for Wednesday 21 October

SAWS has 2 weather warnings in force for Wednesday, the highest warning level 10 for veld fire conditions. Tap a warning to see the areas and what to do.

Red level 10

Veld Fire Conditions

Where

Beaufort West, Laingsburg, De Aar, Schweizer-Reneke + 20 more

When

Wed 07:00 to 18:59

Areas: Beaufort West, Laingsburg, De Aar, Schweizer-Reneke, Rustenburg, Lichtenburg, Frankfort, Pilanesberg, Victoria West, Koster, Tosca, Zeerust, Ottosdal, Noupoort, Ventersdorp, Wolmaranstad, Vryburg, Klerksdorp, Potchefstroom, VanWyksvlei, Hoedspruit, Bela-Bela, Nokaneng, Fetakgomo/Greater Tubatse – Burgersfort / Tubatse/.

Conditions are such that the FDI index is above 75. Under these conditions fires may develop and spread rapidly resulting in damage to property and possible loss of human and/or animal life.

What to do: All personnel and equipment should be removed from the field. Fire teams, labour and equipment are to be placed on full stand-by. At first sign of smoke, every possible measure should be taken in order to bring the fire under control in the shortest possible time. All available aircraft are to be called for without delay.

Warning Advisory

Weather Advisory

Where

Mokopane, Mogoto, Thabazimbi, Dendron + 22 more

When

valid until 23:59 on 21 October

Areas: Mokopane, Mogoto, Thabazimbi, Dendron, Thohoyandou, Ba-Phalaborwa, Tzaneen, Hoedspruit, Tshilamba, Bela-Bela, Nokaneng, Apel, Jane Furse, Musina, Fetakgomo/Greater Tubatse – Burgersfort / Tubatse/, Groblersdal, Giyani, Makhado, Polokwane, Alldays, Mookgopong, Lephalale, Moletji, Mooketsi, Vaalwater, Marble Hall.

When the temperature is extremely high, humans’ ability to cool their bodies through sweating is reduced. This can be a real threat that may lead to hyperthermia. In an extremely hot environment, the most serious health and safety concern is heat stroke. Heat stroke can be fatal if medical attention is not available immediately.

What to do: Avoid prolonged direct exposure to the sun as far as possible and drink plenty of water. Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated. Never leave kids in the car unattended. Make sure your animals have access to enough water. Check on vulnerable individuals, including the elderly and young children.

SAWS advisory

Fire Danger Warnings

What

1 item, tap to read

Extremely high fire danger conditions are expectedin places over the Central Karoo of the Western Cape, most parts of the North-West, southern parts of the Northern Cape, the Mafube local municipality of the Free State, as well as in places over southern Limpopo, and north-western Mpumalanga.

SAWS advisory

Advisories

What

1 item, tap to read

A heat wave with persistently high temperatures is expected in places over the Western Bushveld of Limpopo until Friday (23/10/2026).

Moon tonight

Waxing Gibbous

78% lit

The moon tonight is a waxing gibbous, about 78% lit, and the next full moon is on Monday 26 October.

Weather today by province, Wednesday 21 October

View Weather Forecast for TomorrowView the weather tomorrow on the 7-Day Weather Forecast

Each province lists its main towns with today’s sky, low and high, rain chance and wind; every province starts closed, tap one to open it. Tide times are inside Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Today Johannesburg peaks at 28°C.

Gauteng

Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, Vereeniging

A dry day, with Pretoria the warmest at 31°C under partly cloudy skies after 12°C at dawn. Johannesburg, Soweto and Vereeniging reach 28°C under mostly clear skies from cold starts of 6°C to 7°C.

Johannesburg today

Mostly clear28°7°0%W 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Gauteng

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Johannesburg	Mostly clear	7°	28°	0%	W 10
Pretoria	Partly cloudy	12°	31°	0%	W 10
Soweto	Mostly clear	6°	28°	0%	W 10
Vereeniging	Mostly clear	7°	28°	0%	WSW 10

Western Cape

Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Paarl, George · tides

Expect slight rain in Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Paarl, a 60% chance, with highs of 19°C to 21°C. George has a 30% chance and 23°C. Beaufort West and Laingsburg face a veld fire warning from 07:00 to 18:59.

Cape Town today

Slight rain19°14°60%NW 15 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Western Cape

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Cape Town	Slight rain	14°	19°	60%	NW 15
Stellenbosch	Slight rain	10°	20°	60%	NNW 15
Paarl	Slight rain	11°	21°	60%	NNW 10
George	Slight rain	12°	23°	30%	SW 15

Tides: Cape Town

Day	Low tide	High tide
Wed 21 Oct	05:54, 18:35	12:14

Mpumalanga and Limpopo next today: Mbombela reaches 30°C and Polokwane reaches 28°C.

Mpumalanga

Mbombela, eMalahleni, Ermelo

Fog in Mbombela gives way to 30°C, while eMalahleni reaches 31°C and Ermelo 26°C after a chilly 4°C start. Fire danger is extremely high in the north-west, with no rain.

Mbombela today

Fog30°18°0%NNE 5 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Mpumalanga

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Mbombela	Fog	18°	30°	0%	NNE 5
eMalahleni	Partly cloudy	6°	31°	0%	W 10
Ermelo	Partly cloudy	4°	26°	0%	WNW 10

Limpopo

Polokwane, Tzaneen, Thohoyandou, Musina

A weather advisory covers Mokopane, Thabazimbi, Thohoyandou and Ba-Phalaborwa until 23:59, with a heat wave in the Western Bushveld until Friday. Musina reaches 35°C, Thohoyandou 34°C and Polokwane 28°C under cloud.

Polokwane today

Cloudy28°18°0%W 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Limpopo

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Polokwane	Cloudy	18°	28°	0%	W 10
Tzaneen	Cloudy	18°	30°	0%	WNW 5
Thohoyandou	Cloudy	19°	34°	0%	NNE 5
Musina	Cloudy	21°	35°	0%	ENE 5

North West and Free State follow today: Mahikeng reaches 32°C and Bloemfontein reaches 25°C.

North West

Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp

A veld fire warning covers Rustenburg, Lichtenburg and Schweizer-Reneke from 07:00 to 18:59. Rustenburg reaches 33°C, Mahikeng 32°C, Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp 30°C, all dry and mostly clear.

Mahikeng today

Mostly clear32°12°0%WSW 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close North West

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Mahikeng	Mostly clear	12°	32°	0%	WSW 10
Rustenburg	Mostly clear	13°	33°	0%	W 10
Potchefstroom	Mostly clear	9°	30°	0%	WSW 15
Klerksdorp	Mostly clear	9°	30°	0%	WSW 15

Free State

Bloemfontein, Bethlehem, Kroonstad

Dry and mostly clear, with Kroonstad at 29°C, Bethlehem 26°C and Bloemfontein 25°C after cool starts of 6°C to 9°C. Fire danger is extremely high in Mafube.

Bloemfontein today

Mostly clear25°7°0%W 15 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Free State

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Bloemfontein	Mostly clear	7°	25°	0%	W 15
Bethlehem	Mostly clear	6°	26°	0%	WSW 15
Kroonstad	Mostly clear	9°	29°	0%	WSW 10

Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal close the list today: Kimberley reaches 28°C, Gqeberha reaches 23°C and Durban reaches 26°C.

Northern Cape

Kimberley, Upington, Springbok, De Aar · tides

De Aar is under a veld fire warning from 07:00 to 18:59 and reaches 25°C. Upington is the warmest at 31°C, Kimberley 28°C and Springbok 21°C under high cloud, with no rain.

Kimberley today

Mostly clear28°9°0%WSW 15 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Northern Cape

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Kimberley	Mostly clear	9°	28°	0%	WSW 15
Upington	Mostly clear	12°	31°	0%	S 10
Springbok	High cloud	10°	21°	0%	WSW 15
De Aar	Partly cloudy	10°	25°	0%	W 20

Tides: Port Nolloth (modelled)

Day	Low tide	High tide
Wed 21 Oct	05:17, 18:00	11:37

Eastern Cape

Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Queenstown · tides

A dry day, with Mthatha the warmest at 28°C after a 7°C start. East London and Queenstown reach 25°C and Gqeberha 23°C under cloud.

Gqeberha today

Cloudy23°13°0%SW 20 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close Eastern Cape

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Gqeberha	Cloudy	13°	23°	0%	SW 20
East London	Partly cloudy	13°	25°	0%	WSW 15
Mthatha	Partly cloudy	7°	28°	0%	SW 10
Queenstown	Partly cloudy	9°	25°	0%	W 15

Tides: Gqeberha

Day	Low tide	High tide
Wed 21 Oct	06:29, 19:13	00:22, 12:48

Tides: East London

Day	Low tide	High tide
Wed 21 Oct	06:34, 19:15	00:32, 12:57

KwaZulu-Natal

Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Newcastle · tides

No rain is expected, with Richards Bay topping the country at 36°C, Newcastle 31°C, Pietermaritzburg 29°C and Durban 26°C after a mild 17°C start.

Durban today

Partly cloudy26°17°0%S 10 km/h

Tap for cities and townsTap to close KwaZulu-Natal

Towns today

Town	Weather	Lo	Hi	Rain	Wind km/h
Durban	Partly cloudy	17°	26°	0%	S 10
Pietermaritzburg	Cloudy	10°	29°	0%	ESE 10
Richards Bay	Partly cloudy	18°	36°	0%	N 10
Newcastle	Cloudy	10°	31°	0%	W 15

Tides: Durban

Day	Low tide	High tide
Wed 21 Oct	06:36, 19:20	00:35, 13:01

View Weather Forecast for TomorrowView the weather tomorrow on the 7-Day Weather Forecast

Forecast data: the South African Weather Service and other third-party sources and providers, brought together with the latest AI tools. We take great care to get every figure right, but mistakes are possible.