Swaicsa - Severe Weather And Information Centre SA

15/10/2025

🌙 Good Night, Swaicsans 💙 15 October 2025.

The first anniversary of my mom’s passing affected me far more than I thought it would.
💔 Grief has a way of catching us off guard — even when we think we’re strong, it reminds us of the depth of our love.

It’s been a heavy, emotional day, and I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you who checked in, sent kind words, or simply kept me in your thoughts. 🙏🏽Your warmth and care truly carried me through.

As the night falls, may peace wrap gently around you too. 🌌 Rest well, breathe deeply, and remember — healing takes time, but tomorrow always brings light. 🌅

Sleep peacefully, stay safe, and thank you for being part of this caring community. 💙

15/10/2025

ℹ️Weather forecast for today and tomorrow, 15-16 October 2025. Credit to SAWS.

Partly cloudy and cool to warm but hot in places, with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers in the east and south. ⚠️ Severe thunderstorms⛈ and damaging waves🌊 in places. Stay safe. ⚠️

15/10/2025

🌦️ Good Morning and Happy Wednesday, Swaicsans! ☀️
🕗 Satellite Update: 07:30 | 15 October 2025

The latest satellite image shows a very strong ridging high-pressure system (central pressure 1038 hPa) located southwest of South Africa, with low-level clouds spreading across the southern and eastern parts of the country. ☁️

📍 Weather Today:
🌡️ Cool over parts of the western, southern, and eastern coastal and adjacent areas due to onshore flow from the high. Warm to hot elsewhere, and hot to very hot across northern and eastern Limpopo, as well as eastern Mpumalanga.

🌧️ Isolated showers and/or thundershowers are possible in KZN, eSwatini, Mpumalanga (except the far east), Limpopo (except the far east), and northeastern North West, becoming scattered over central and southern Limpopo and far northern Mpumalanga, where ⚠️⚡ strong to severe thunderstorms with heavy downpours, hail, excessive lightning, and damaging winds may develop later today.

⚠️🌬️ Windy conditions expected along parts of the south, southeast, and east coasts today.

🔥 Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over parts of the eastern Northern Cape, western and northern Free State, northern Eastern Cape, western and southern North West, western KZN, and northern Limpopo.

🔔ℹ️ Heads-Up (Advance Forecast – subject to change):
⚠️⛈️ Strong to severe thunderstorms possible tomorrow (Thursday) over east-central Limpopo and eastern Mpumalanga.

📸 Image Credit: Windy

15/10/2025

15/10/2025

🌅Rise and shine! Good morning and happy Wednesday, Swaicsans.💛 03:49, 15 October 2025.

Life is a journey of constant transformation. Every sunrise brings a chance to leave behind what no longer serves you, to heal, and to discover new strengths within yourself. The challenges you’ve faced are not chains—they are stepping stones, shaping resilience, wisdom, and courage.

Your story is not fixed; it is written moment by moment, choice by choice. Each day offers a blank page, waiting for the courage, hope, and determination you bring. Embrace the lessons, forgive yourself, and keep moving forward.

Remember, what you’ve been through is part of your journey, but it does not limit who you are or who you can become. You are capable of more, of rising higher, of shining brighter than ever before.

Keep going. Keep growing. Your best days are still ahead.

If this message spoke to you, please share it with someone who might need it today. 💌

💙

15/10/2025

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Melanie Pretorius, Chanè Botha, Giulio Mindrea, Ashley Pearce, Wendy Embleton Huber, Susette Van Rensburg Kroucamp, Robyn Le Riche Mills, Tessa Gonsalves, Kelly Gertse, Ruby Styer, Marianne Venter, Sharafad Ahmed, Lisa Schoeman, Ashley Mokhonoana, Salomie Jacobs, Trix Van Niekerk, Kittie De Koker, Helmi Nel, Leandra Lewis, Bonani Dube, Nathi Nati Macutwana, Veronica Pretorius, Erika Niemann, Senior King Samaritan Karesaza, Ennerien Esterhuizen, Marcia Brandsma McGarry, Mouhamed Ba, Linda Muller, Marquine Hartnick, Michael Peace, Maria Eilerd, Jaco Erasmus, Deborah van der Westhuizen, Christo Christoffel, Corrie Van Rooyen, Roland Bristow, Reinette Matthews, Sphesihle Shabane, Ingrid Snaith, Rina Conradie, Motsamai Ramphalile, Mookameli Motumi, Joe Mahlobo, Wendy Ayanda Ntshiza, Avinash Bulrajh, Shirley Sharon Ajodhia, Alex Sbale Ezekiel Bofeto, Ntobeko Molose, Mzwakhe Mochochoko, Mondli Buthelezi

Don't forget to share our Page's link with you loved ones so that they can stay informed, too. Thank you 🏆

14/10/2025

🌙✨ Good Night, Swaicsa Family ✨🌙 14 October 2025.

Every breath, every smile, every moment you’re given is a gift. So wear your favorite outfit, use the good dishes, laugh a little louder, and love a little deeper — because today was already special simply because you were here. 🌌

Rest tonight knowing that life itself is worth celebrating. Tomorrow is another chance to live fully, not just someday — but every single day.

Good night, sleep peacefully, and wake with a heart ready to cherish it all. 🌻

14/10/2025

⚠️Thunderstorm development with lightning overlay in 🟡yellow over eSwatini, south-eastern Mpumalanga, northern KZN as well as just south of Durban from 12:15 — 18:15 today. Credit to Meteorologix. Stay safe.

14/10/2025

⚠️⚡️KNOW YOUR WEATHER: Bolt from the Blue: The Hidden Danger of Lightning from Clear Skies.

🌤️ What Is "Bolt From The Blue" Lightning?

Bolt from the Blue lightning is one of nature’s most deceptive and dangerous electrical phenomena.

It’s a lightning strike that originates from the top of a distant thunderstorm cloud, then travels many kilometers through the clear air before suddenly striking the ground under apparently clear skies — often 10 to 25 km away from the storm’s rain core.

Because the sky directly above the strike point often looks sunny or only partly cloudy, people are often caught completely off guard.

⚙️ How Does It Form?

To understand this, let’s first recall how normal lightning forms:

1. Inside a cumulonimbus cloud (thunderstorm), ice particles and water droplets collide.

2. These collisions cause a charge separation:

Positive charges build up near the top of the cloud.

Negative charges gather near the base of the cloud.

3. When the charge difference between the cloud and the ground (or another cloud) becomes large enough, a lightning discharge occurs.

Now, a Bolt from the Blue forms differently:

The lightning channel starts high up near the positively charged top of the thunderstorm.

Instead of taking the shortest path downward through the storm core, the lightning bolt travels horizontally for several kilometers through the upper atmosphere — in the region above the cloud top where the air is thin but still conductive.

Once it finds a path to ground, the bolt dives diagonally downward, sometimes striking far beyond the visible edges of the storm.

That’s why it can hit even when the storm appears far away, and why it seems to come “out of the blue.”

📏 How Far Can It Strike?

Scientific studies and radar/lightning mapping show that bolts from the blue can strike:

10 to 25 km away from the storm’s center — though in rare cases, up to 40 km.

That’s far beyond the distance where you can hear thunder, meaning that the “30–30 rule” (seek shelter if thunder occurs within 30 seconds of a flash) doesn’t protect you in these cases.

These long-reaching discharges are positively charged lightning, carrying higher current and longer duration than typical negative lightning from the storm base.

⚠️ Why It’s So Dangerous

1. Deceptive Conditions: The sky may appear mostly sunny where you are. People may be outdoors — hiking, swimming, playing sports, or working — believing the danger has passed or is still far away.

2. High Energy: Positive lightning bolts (which most “out-of-the-blue” strikes are) can carry 10 times more energy than typical negative lightning. They produce stronger electric fields, more intense secondary effects, and can ignite fires or cause severe injuries or fatalities.

3. Lack of Warning: Because thunder can’t be heard over such long distances, there’s often no audible cue before the strike.

In short: it’s one of the most lethal forms of lightning precisely because it seems to come from nowhere.

📊 Real-World Examples

Colorado, USA (2000s): Several hikers were struck by lightning while the sky above was clear — the storm responsible was over 15 km away on radar.

South Africa: Similar cases have been documented in the Highveld and Drakensberg regions where isolated thunderstorms produce long-reaching discharges that strike dry areas nearby.

Florida, USA: Often cited as a global hotspot for positive lightning, with fatal strikes occurring even after the main storm had passed.

🧠 How to Stay Safe

1. Understand the Range of Danger

If thunderclouds are visible anywhere in the sky — even far off on the horizon — lightning danger may still exist, even if it’s not raining.

2. Apply the “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” Rule

If you can hear thunder, you are already within striking distance, even if the sun is shining above you.

3. Wait It Out

Stay indoors or in a fully enclosed vehicle for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder. Lightning can strike behind or ahead of a storm’s main area.

4. Avoid Open Areas

Do not stand on ridges, fields, beaches, or near tall isolated objects (trees, poles, fences). These attract strikes from horizontally traveling bolts.

5. Monitor Weather Updates

Use live radar, lightning trackers, or SWAICSA alerts to stay informed. Storms can move fast, and electrical fields extend farther than you may think.

🔬 Fun (and Shocking) Facts

A positive lightning bolt can carry up to 300,000 amperes and reach temperatures exceeding 30,000°C (54,000°F) — hotter than the sun’s surface.

Because of their strength, “out-of-the-blue” bolts can cause power outages and damage equipment miles away from the thunderstorm itself.

Pilots sometimes report seeing these bolts arcing from the tops of distant anvil clouds, forming strikingly long, blue-white flashes across the sky.

💡 In Summary

A Bolt from the Blue is a rare but deadly reminder that lightning doesn’t always strike where the clouds look darkest.

It can travel far from the storm, under clear skies, and strike without warning.
So the next time you see towering cumulonimbus clouds on the horizon — even if you’re standing under sunshine — remember:

> ⚠️ If you can see the storm, you can be struck by it.

📸Image credit: Jonathan Erdman

Stay weather-wise. Stay alert. Stay alive. 💙⚡

14/10/2025

ℹ️Weather Update for today and tomorrow, 14 - 15 October 2025. Credit to SAWS.

Partly cloudy and warm conditions are expected, with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers over the eastern parts of the country. It will be hot in places in the north.

14/10/2025

🌦️ Good Morning and Happy Tuesday, Swaicsans! ☀️
🕗 Satellite Update: 08:00 | 14 October 2025

The latest satellite image shows severe thunderstorms south of South Africa 🌩️ and low-level clouds covering the western and southern parts of the country. ☁️

📍 Weather Today:
🌡️ Cool over the western and southern areas, warm to hot elsewhere, and hot to very hot across northern and eastern Limpopo, eastern Mpumalanga, eSwatini, and northern KZN.

🌧️ Isolated showers and/or thundershowers are possible in the western and southern Western Cape, southern and south-eastern Eastern Cape, entire KZN, southern and central Mpumalanga, and south-eastern Limpopo.

⚡ Isolated strong to severe storms may develop in parts of eSwatini and adjacent regions of Mpumalanga and KZN — please stay alert and follow safety precautions.

⚠️🌬Windy along the south-west, south and east coasts today as well as in parts of the interior.

🔥 Extremely high fire danger conditions expected over the eastern Northern Cape, western Free State, northern Eastern Cape, southern North-West, north-eastern KZN, and northern Limpopo.

📸 Image Credit: Windy

14/10/2025

🌅Good morning and happy Tuesday!💛
07:20, 14 October 2025.

Sometimes life breaks you down — not to destroy you, but to remind you that even warriors need to pause and breathe.⏸️

Strength isn’t found in pretending to be unshaken; it’s found in standing back up after being shattered, still believing, still trying, still loving.💛

Every scar tells a story of survival. Every tear waters the roots of resilience. No matter how heavy the storm, never forget — your spirit was built to rise again. 🌧️➡️☀️

Keep on fighting, warriors!🦁