Severe Storms Hammer KZN As SAWS Issues Level 4 Warning Amid Flooding And Fatalities

KwaZulu-Natal continues to endure severe pressure after days of persistent heavy rainfall that have left the province thoroughly saturated, resulting in widespread infrastructure damage and, tragically, loss of life. With further intense weather on the horizon, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Level 4 severe thunderstorm warning across large parts of the province on Monday, 24 November 2025.

In Newcastle, for example, a sinkhole opened at the intersection of Harding and Voortrekker Streets in the central business district, forcing the municipality to close one lane of Voortrekker Street as early as Saturday, 22 November 2025.

In another part of the town, a section of Falkirk Street has collapsed entirely and has since been cordoned off.

On Monday morning, manhole covers lifted along Scott Street and several other locations, releasing stormwater onto the carriageway as the drainage system reached capacity. Additionally, overflow from Amcor Dam is flowing across Umfolozi Road in Ncandu Park; with the Newcastle Municiplaity closing the road off to the public.

Further south, in uMshwathi Local Municipality, flash flooding struck the New Hanover area on Sunday evening, 23 November 2025, sweeping three people away. By Monday morning, search-and-rescue teams had recovered the body of a middle-aged woman, while the operation to locate the two remaining missing individuals continues without pause.

KZN CoGTA reports that numerous homes have been damaged or destroyed – especially in low-lying informal settlements – and several bridges and roads across the uMgungundlovu District have been rendered impassable or severely compromised.

As a result, rapid-assessment teams are now quantifying the full extent of the damage, while a multi-sectoral relief operation has been activated to deliver essential supplies, secure temporary accommodation, and coordinate support through the local municipality.

Meanwhile, SAWS states that a surface trough, combined with a coastal low and an upper-air trough, will sustain scattered-to-widespread showers and thunderstorms across KwaZulu-Natal throughout 24 November 2025. In north-western districts – including Newcastle, Ladysmith, Dundee, Dannhauser, Utrecht, Pongola, Vryheid, Indaka, and eDumbe – some storms are forecast to become severe, delivering heavy downpours, strong winds, frequent lightning, and small hail.

Consequently, authorities expect flooding of roads and settlements, hail damage to property, danger to life from fast-flowing streams, significant travel disruption, and the risk of lightning-induced fires.

SAWS has therefore urged residents to remain indoors wherever possible, avoid all but essential travel, and never attempt to cross rivers or streams when water exceeds ankle depth. If a vehicle becomes trapped in rising floodwater, motorists are instructed to abandon it immediately and move to higher ground.

Given the already saturated soil and elevated river levels, authorities emphasise that the risk of further KwaZulu-Natal flooding, structural failure, and loss of life remains elevated. Vigilance, they stress, is critical in the coming hours and days.

A Level 4 (Yellow) warning in the SAWS impact-based system is issued when severe thunderstorms are forecast with high confidence and are expected to produce significant hazards: specifically rainfall exceeding 50 mm in a few hours, wind gusts above 60 km/h, frequent lightning, and hail.

This threshold indicates conditions capable of causing localised disruption and damage, particularly in areas already saturated by prolonged rainfall. In the present circumstances across KwaZulu-Natal, the alert underscores the urgent need for residents and authorities to treat the forecast seriously, implement safety protocols promptly, and avoid unnecessary exposure to the elements.

Be sure to read, Your Comprehensive Guide to SAWS’ Colour-Coded Weather Warnings, to better understand how the SAWS warnings work.

FAQs