Western Cape under Level 8 warning for heavy rain, flooding and severe weather
As South Africans continue to bear the brunt of the cold and make full use of the heaters, we are becoming used to seeing weather alerts flash across our phones. But the latest Orange Level 8 warning issued for parts of the country raises a question: how many extreme weather warnings has the country had?
While it is not known at this stage how many severe weather warnings we have had this year, South Africa issued 85 high-impact weather warnings (Levels 5–8) in the last reported financial year, including four rare Level 8 alerts.
It is worth noting that just two months into the new financial year, multiple additional Level 8 warnings have already been issued as severe storms batter the Western and Eastern Cape.
The level 8 warning, issued by the South African Weather Service, is among the highest levels of alert used to signal potentially dangerous weather conditions.
