Here is your weather expectations for the rest of the week

Some parts of South Africa witnessed their first spring rain on the weekend. The first rains of spring are expected to clear early this week, with a second cut-off low on the cards for next weekend. Over the weekend, heavy down pours of rain, hail and damaging winds were reported all over the country as the deep cut-off low-pressure system moved past the country, with multiple storm warnings issued by the South African Weather Service continuing into the week. Weather service forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela said conditions were expected to start improving from tomorrow until the weekend. Thobela said partly cloudy and cold to cool conditions were expected across most parts of the central and eastern parts of the country, resulting in scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms over Gauteng, KwaZu lu-Natal, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and eastern parts of the Northern Cape today. What to expect on the weekend From Friday going into Saturday, residents can expect isolated to scattered showers and thunder storms, mainly over the southern parts of the country, impacting the Western and Eastern Cape. Tshwane Emergency Manage ment Services (EMS) spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba said EMS had identified high-risk areas across all regions following another weather alert. “The rainy season has begun and this period often brings in creased risk to communities living in low-lying and flood prone areas. These conditions frequently result in flooding that leave households displaced and contribute to a rise in drowning incidents. “Such systems are commonly associated with widespread rain fall and severe thunderstorms, both of which significantly in crease the likelihood of flood ing and related hazards,” said Radebe-Kgiba. Warning She urged residents to stay indoors and away from metal objects that conduct electrici ty, like barbed wire fences and power lines, which may be hit by lightning. She warned people not to seek shelter under isolated trees or tall objects during a thunderstorm and to avoid crossing flooded roads, low-level bridges and swol len streams. Vox Weather reported that a funnel cloud was spotted beneath a thunderstorm in the Bothaville district around 3pm on Friday. “At this stage, there is no clear visual evidence from the photo alone that it made contact with the ground to become a tornado. However, conditions remain very unstable, with more severe thun derstorms possible this Friday as a strong cut-off low continues to affect South Africa,” it said. It warned that storms could produce hail, strong, damaging winds and heavy downpours