A tornado and hailstorm wreaked havoc in parts of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday afternoon.
The storm damaged multiple buildings and caused injuries
According to a report by Arrive Alive, multiple buildings were damaged, and injuries were reported.
They have deployed KZNVIP Ambos and IPSS Medical to the Tongaat and La Mercy areas.
It is believed local authorities were on the scene for assistance and further investigations.
SAWS has not yet confirmed the weather phenomenon
According to East Coast Radio, the South African Weather Service could not verify the phenomenon on Monday afternoon.
However, forecaster Ayanda Ntsele from SAWS said it is possible, considering the current weather conditions.
“We did have a severe thunderstorm alert, tornados are possible with severe storms however, for this tornado we will need somebody like a credible source because we do not have radar coverage in Newcastle or any sort of live data at this point that can verify a tornado.”
Ntsele says.
The weather service has issued warnings earlier about severe thunderstorms in the north-western interior of KZN and disruptive rain in the southeast of the province.
Hailstorms and heavy rains had already been reported in Harding, Nottingham, and Port Shepstone by Monday afternoon.
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This is not the first time a tornado has hit the province.
In June last year, a tornado left a trail of destruction in parts of Inanda Valley.
Videos shared on social media showed the destruction of infrastructural damage for communities.
It is believed two people have been admitted to hospital with minor injuries. Emergency services are still busy on the scene to assist the affected communities.
SEVERAL WEATHER WARNINGS ARE IN PLACE
Meanwhile, high-level weather warnings for disruptive snow are in place until Tuesday.
On Monday, significant snowfall was confirmed in several parts of the country.
Here is where snow was confirmed on Monday:
- Sutherland
- Moteng Pass in Lesotho
- Carnarvon in the Northern Cape
- Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality in the Northern Cape
- Snow on the A1 between Tlaeng Pass and Afriski
- Matroosberg
- Loxton, Hooglandkaroo.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR LIVESTOCK AND PETS IN THESE CONDITIONS:
- Please take extra care to provide for your pets and livestock during cold periods.
- Management of the cow’s environment- move all livestock to a safe area. e.g. warm place’,
- Providing extra hay/forage/feed to livestock is crucial, as they may require up to double the calories for normal body heat maintenance during extreme cold.
- Do not shear the Angora goat. Also, take extra time to observe livestock, looking for early signs of disease and injury.
- Severe cold-weather injuries or death primarily affect animals that are already debilitated or the very young. Cases of cold weather-related sudden death in calves often result when cattle are suffering from undetected infection, particularly pneumonia. Investigate sudden, unexplained livestock deaths and illnesses promptly to identify a cause and take steps to protect remaining animals.
- Pay special attention to very young and old animals.They may be less able to tolerate temperature extremes and have weaker immune systems.
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