Several dead in massive South Africa storm, Johannesburg hit hard

Starting October 9, 2017, people of the South Africa have had to withstand a massive storm, which has caused the immeasurable damage to several provinces, including Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal, leaving Johannesburg flooded and other major South African cities. The storm claimed several lives and left many injured.

In the wake of October 9, 2017, South African Weather Service issued a warning of an upcoming massive storm that will bring thunderstorms, heavy rain, winds at high speed, and hailstones to Gauteng, but would quickly spread to surrounding areas, including Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.

The city of Johannesburg suffered massive damage, as winds have pulled trees out of their roots, while numerous vehicles have been destroyed by hailstones, and several buildings left in need of repairmen. Furthermore, several main roads have been left useless due to a major flooding in the whole city. Unfortunately, already three people lost their lives in Johannesburg while endangering themselves during the storm.

A number of tornadoes were also reported. A suspected twister injured six people in the small town of Delmas, east of Johannesburg. Tornadoes were also observed in Ruimsig (adjacent to Roodepoort and Krugersdorp) and near Bethulie. Extremely large hail (golf ball to tennis ball size) was also reported near Krugersdorp.

Next in line after Gauteng was the KwaZulu-Natal province and its city Durban, where the storm has left its mark by flooding all the main roads in the southern part of the province, several areas without power, and also damaged a number of schools in Durban and other cities of KwaZulu-Natal province, leading to a number of 300 educational facilities.

To make things worse, the storm has left its mark on at least five hospitals, said the KZN Health Department Spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi. In most recent occurrence, snow accumulated on the ground of the mountain pass Sani Pass in the west part of KwaZulu-Natal, 2^nd most populous province in South Africa. So far, the storm has taken two lives in the province. One was hit by a lightning, while another drowned while trying to cross a river.

Residents reported that 50 cm (19.7 inches) of snow had already accumulated on the ground in the northern parts of the Eastern Cape.

In the city of Delmas, Mpumalanga, several people suffered minor and moderate injuries, when a business building suffered damage from the storm.

According to SA Weather Service, there is no near end of the storm, although Wednesday and Tuesday could be peaceful days. Stormy weather is expected again for the weekend.

For the time being, the storm is spreading to surrounding areas and people in Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Free State have been warned to stay indoors, while motorist and other passengers have been advised not to use transportation due to severe weather.

Featured image: Massive storm hits South Africa – October 10, 2017