The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued multiple yellow-level warnings for damaging winds and severe thunderstorms across the Western Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and several inland provinces on Friday, 4 September 2026. Residents in Cape Town and the Cape Flats can expect cold, wet and windy conditions with scattered to widespread showers throughout the day.
SAWS issued a Yellow Level 4 warning for damaging winds over the central and north-eastern parts of the Western Cape, alongside a Yellow Level 2 warning for damaging winds over the western and southern parts of the province. A separate Yellow Level 4 warning covers severe thunderstorms in the western parts of the Free State, while the Western Cape interior faces very cold, wet and windy conditions.
SAWS forecaster Masego Nhlapo told SABC News that a low-pressure system southeast of the country combined with a high-pressure ridge is driving the unstable weather. “We do have a low-pressure system just southeast of the country as well as a high ridge behind it. So, we have an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms,” Nhlapo said.
The weather system extends well beyond the Western Cape. SAWS issued a Yellow Level 4 warning for severe thunderstorms over the central and eastern Northern Cape, western Free State, extreme western North West and southern KZN. Damaging winds reaching up to 90 kilometres per hour are forecast for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, according to SABC News.
For Cape Town residents, particularly those in informal settlements across the Cape Flats, the combination of gusty winds and widespread rain raises familiar concerns. Areas such as Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Philippi and Gugulethu have historically experienced localized flooding and wind damage during similar cut-off low systems. The City of Cape Town’s disaster risk management centres typically activate during yellow-level warnings to monitor vulnerable areas.
The cut-off low system was first flagged by SAWS on 31 August 2026, when the weather service warned of cold, wet and windy conditions affecting the Western Cape and Northern Cape. Friday’s updated advisories expanded the affected area to include KZN, the Eastern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
What remains unclear is whether specific damage, flooding incidents or power outages have already occurred in Cape Town as a result of this system. Cape Flats News will check with the City of Cape Town disaster management and SAPS stations in affected suburbs by 14:00 on 4 September for any incident reports.