This brand-new series goes beyond maps and models to uncover the real stories shaped by weather.

𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆?

In Episode 1, we meet up with Matt Ashwell, a passionate paraglider in Cape Town, to learn how weather shapes his sport — and break down the science behind those perfect flying conditions.

Huge thanks to @MattAshwell for taking the time to fly with us, @SkyrideParagliding for our first lesson, and @BothaFilms for capturing and editing the adventure!

🎥🪂 This is where adventure meets atmosphere. This is 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭.

The South African Weather Service has issued an Orange Level 5 Warning for severe thunderstorms across parts of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, as a powerful weather system called a ‘cut-off low’ moves into the country from the west, bringing heavy rain, chilly temperatures and even snow in some areas from Wednesday, 23 April until Saturday, 26 April 2025.

The weather service issued the warning on Thursday, 24 April, and it will remain in effect until midnight.

The warning indicates a medium likelihood of severe thunderstorms with significant potential impacts, including flooding, large amounts of small hail and excessive lightning. The weather service warned that heavy downpours could lead to flooding of roads and bridges, damage to infrastructure and disruptions to daily life.

The affected areas include Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Mogale City, Rand West City, Emfuleni, Lesedi, Merafong City, Midvaal and Dipaleseng.

From a maths-loving farm girl to one of SA’s most recognisable meteorologists, Annette Botha is bringing weather to life in a whole new way.

With her long blonde hair, bright smile and warm personality, Vox Weather founder and meteorologist Annette Botha resembles South Africa’s very own Wonder Woman of weather.

She dreams of flying high and empowering others – one weather update at a time. Botha, 33, describes herself as a sunshine kind of person with a passion for maths and weather systems.

Riverwell Residents Association workers help clean flood damage, including a crushed palisade fence and collapsed garden wall, on the Dolfhout Street bridge over the Klein Jukskei in Weltevreden Park, 6 March 2025, after heavy rains caused massive flooding across north-western Joburg yesterday. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen

The vicious thunderstorm which hit northern Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage and power outages, is classified officially as a cloudburst.

But predicting one of these with accuracy is almost impossible with current technology, says a weather expert.

Vox Weather meteorologist Michelle du Plessis said the storm that hit Johannesburg and surrounding areas was not a supercell, but a cloudburst.

“A cloudburst is defined as 10cm (100mm) or more of rainfall within one hour, leading to rapid water accumulation.

This explains why areas such as Johannesburg, including Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Sandton, and Kempton Park, recently experienced extreme rainfall,” she said…

Die brug in Gertrudestraat, Randparkrif, wat oorspoel het. Inwoners dink dis as gevolg van padwerke by dié brug dat hulle huise verspoel het.

Weather forecasting helps people plan their day, from choosing what to wear to making travel decisions.

But it’s also critical for businesses farmers depend on forecasts for planting and harvesting, construction projects rely on them for safe scheduling, and logistics companies adjust routes to avoid weather delays.

In the bigger picture, accurate forecasts help reduce risks, improve safety and optimise operations across industries.

Weather forecasts are also tremendously important because severe weather events like floods, tornadoes and lightning storms can damage infrastructure and are also life-threatening.

Vox Weather is South Africa’s first independent digital weather platform, delivering real-time, hyperlocal forecasts via social media and its website. Vox Weather Meteorologist Annette Botha notes: “We make weather updates engaging and accessible, and with over 400,000 followers, we’re reaching more people than ever.

“Our goal is simple: to keep the public informed with accurate, informative and timely weather insights. At the same time, because our platform is powered through social media, it gives us as a team the ability to listen to, and engage with, our audience, which in turn offers unique opportunities to share information about the weather.”

In this article, we look at how weather forecasts help South African individuals and businesses to go about their daily lives more safely and efficiently.

The Business of Weather Reports

Weather reports are brought to us by meteorologists, who are highly skilled, specialist professionals in their field. In South Africa, meteorologists complete a BSc in Meteorology (three years) and an Honours degree (one year). The University of Pretoria (UPS) is the only educational institution in South Africa that offers this qualification.

Botha’s colleague, fellow Vox Weather Meteorologist Michelle Cordier – who herself was the top Honours student in Meteorology during her Honours degree year at UPS – explains: “The studies include physics, mathematics, geographic information systems (GIS), and meteorology modules. Many meteorologists then specialise in areas like severe weather or climate change, and gain hands-on experience through internships and training.”

But where do these two highly-trained professionals get their actual data from, in order to bring us their detailed weather forecasts?

Botha clarifies: “We pull data from multiple sources—satellites, radars, weather stations and even high-altitude weather balloons. We also use global weather models and international meteorological databases. In South Africa, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) is a key provider of local weather data.”

Weather Warnings and People’s Safety

Early warnings give people time to prepare – whether staying indoors, moving vehicles under cover in the event of a cloudburst or hailstorm, securing their property, or even evacuating the area. Without timely updates, communities are left vulnerable, increasing the risk of damage, injuries and loss of life.

Extreme weather events in South Africa recently included the tornado sightings in KwaZulu-Natal in mid-2024, as well as the unusually heavy snowfalls in certain places in 2023 and 2024 – all of which are potentially life-threatening.

South Africa has also experienced its share of longer-lasting extreme climate events, including the drought in Cape Town from 2015 to 2018, the storms in Durban in July 2022, and the Eastern Cape drought, which started in 2015 and was followed by flooding in early January 2022. Globally, the world in recent years has seen floods in Kenya and Pakistan, extreme wildfires in Australia and California, and droughts in Zimbabwe and Mexico, to name but a few examples.

Figure 2: Images that circulated on social media of the rope tornado near Utrcht (left) and the wedge tornado near Tongaat (right). Source: Facebook, Unknown

How Weather Forecasting Assists Industries

Extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rain or excessive heat, can cause problems for different industries in different ways. For example, heavy rain and hail stones can cause flooding, damaging buildings, equipment and vehicles, while floodwaters can disrupt transportation and make it difficult for employees to get to work. Prolonged heatwaves can affect the health and safety of construction workers outdoors, or increase the use of air conditioning systems, leading to higher energy costs.

There are many ways in which weather forecasting benefits industries, including the following:

Agriculture: Farmers rely on forecasts for planting, irrigation and harvesting decisions
Insurance: Weather alerts help clients take preventive measures, while historical data helps insurers verify claims and reduce fraud.
Transport and Logistics: Road, air, rail and sea transport systems adjust routes based on weather updates to avoid delays and safety risks.
Construction: Weather forecasts help schedule outdoor work and keep workers safe from hazards like lightning.
Mining: Open-cast mines need to prepare for storms, while underground mines must be cautious of lightning-induced surges or gas ignitions.
Other industries: Tourism, energy, and retail are also affected – weather affects travel, power generation, and even shopping trends!

Introducing the Tornado Twister: Changing Weather Tracking in SA

The Tornado Twister weather station is transforming weather tracking by allowing all South Africans to contribute real-time, hyper-local data to the Vox Weather network. This means more accurate forecasts and a better understanding of local conditions. But it’s also a game-changer for individuals.

Farmers can track rainfall, frost and wind for better planning.
Gardeners and greenhouse owners can monitor temperature and humidity for optimal growing conditions.
Business managers in construction, event planning and transport (to name just a few) can make smarter weather-based decisions.
Sports enthusiasts can plan their exercise schedules for optimum safety and comfort.
Weather followers can stay informed with precise, on-site data.

Botha explains: “With a Tornado Twister, you’re not just checking the weather – you’re shaping the forecast! And the Tornado Twister network is expanding fast within the Vox Weather community – more people are joining all the time, which means more real-time data from different regions, making our forecasts even more accurate and useful.”

“We’ve also just partnered with the University of Cape Town and Oxford,” adds Cordier, “and are rolling out 25 stations across the Kalahari to track dry lines, which are key areas where thunderstorms are likely to develop. This collaboration is a huge step in understanding severe weather patterns and improving forecasting for these remote regions.”

The network provides significant detail to the Vox Weather community, as the stations measure real-time temperature, humidity, wind speed and rainfall, helping the meteorologists to refine their forecasts, identify weather patterns and issue timely warnings.

Cordier notes that this detailed, real-time data translates into more accurate and localised forecasts for everyone: “Whether it’s a farmer needing to protect crops or a family planning a road trip, the more data we have, the better we can help people prepare for changing weather conditions.”

Botha concludes: “With climate change bringing more frequent and extreme weather events, platforms like Vox Weather are becoming even more important.

Our mission isn’t just about forecasts-it’s about helping people stay safe, prepared, and informed every single day.”

The weather services warned that heatwave conditions are expected in Pretoria this weekend. Here is the latest.

Heatwave conditions are expected in Pretoria this weekend.

According to VoxWeather forecaster Michelle du Plessis, heatwave conditions with persistently high temperatures are expected in places over the Limpopo Lowveld and Limpopo Valley until Sunday but until Saturday over Gauteng, parts of North West, the Free State and western Bushveld of Limpopo.

The weather services have predicted a weak cold front is on its way, but the big question is: will it have any impact on Pretoria? Let’s take a closer look at what to expect.

According to Vox Weather forecaster Michelle Cordier, the cold front will only affect a part of the country this weekend.

She explained that the cold front expected this weekend is very weak.

“The cold front will not affect the country except for the southern coast, where light showers may occur.”

“We had a stronger front on Tuesday, which brought nice rain and cooler weather to the south, and today, the cooler weather, clouds, and light rain will spread over the east.”

The weather services said a weak cold front would be making landfall soon, but will it affect Pretoria? Here is the latest.

The weather services have predicted a weak cold front is on its way, but the big question is: will it have any impact on Pretoria? Let’s take a closer look at what to expect.

According to Vox Weather forecaster Michelle Cordier, the cold front will only affect a part of the country this weekend.

Experts warn that record high temperatures could affect mental health and exacerbate pre-existing health conditions. They also offer tips to stay cool and navigate the sweltering temperatures.

While it is still early in the summer season to be certain, meteorologists are predicting that South Africa could experience its hottest summer on record. This comes as 2024 is set to become the hottest year globally since reliable measurements began in the late 19th century (1880s), marking the first time the planet surpasses the critical 1.5°C warming threshold above pre-industrial levels. “Current heatwave conditions and the ongoing global warming trend suggest that this summer could indeed be one of the hottest on record,” said chief meteorologist at Vox Weather Annette Botha…

Global trends becoming local realities

On 11 November, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed that 2024 was on track to be the hottest year on record. Global temperatures are expected to reach 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the warmest year since reliable records began.

Beyond the Forecast | EP 1 – Paragliding with Matt Ashwell

Severe weather alert: Brace yourself for heavy rain, snow and dangerous storms this week

Annette Botha: SA’s Wonder Woman of weather

Experts warn of more flooding as Johannesburg reels from cloudburst

Jhb se Klein-Jukskeirivier stroom deur huise ná wolkbreuk

Vox Weather: Keeping South Africans Safe, Prepared and Informed

Weather forecasting helps people plan their day, from choosing what to wear to making travel decisions.

The Business of Weather Reports

Weather Warnings and People’s Safety

How Weather Forecasting Assists Industries

Introducing the Tornado Twister: Changing Weather Tracking in SA

Heatwave conditions expected in Pretoria this weekend

Will the expected cold front affect Pretoria this weekend?

Will the expected cold front affect Pretoria this weekend?

South Africa set to face its hottest summer on record

Global trends becoming local realities

2024 on track to be hottest year on record, and first time world surpasses 1.5C

Annual global temperature anomalies relative to pre-industrial (1850-1900)