KZN temperatures soar as areas break 40 degrees Celsius mark
Four areas in KwaZulu-Natal exceeded temperatures higher than 40°C on Saturday.
This was revealed by SA Weather Service forecaster Ayanda Nsele who said Mandeni, Mtunzini, Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay recorded temperatures above 40℃.
Nsele said this was not a heatwave temperatures whould have had to be 5°C higher than the average maximum in that area for a period of three consecutive days, for it to be described as a heatwave.
“What happened on Saturday was not a heatwave. We had issued an advisory for high discomfort values. That means because of the high temperatures combined with high relative humidity, it could have resulted in uncomfortable conditions that could result in heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke,” Nsele explained.
Nsele said Makhathini/Jozini reached 38.7°C.
She said Durban and Mount Edgecombe’s temperatures were 38°C.
IOL had reported that on Saturday, Durban was expected to reach 37°C while Pietermaritzburg was expected to reach a high of 39°C. At the time, Nsele cautioned that the heat, along with humidity, might cause heat-related ailments including heat cramps and heat exhaustion, especially around the coast. There was also a higher risk of wildfire.
Meanwhile, Councillor Henning de Wet from the City of uMhlathuze shared Jeanine Magalingum’s two-part video on cooking eggs in the Richards Bay heat on Saturday on social media.
In the first part of the video, Magalingum took out her AMC pot at 12.30pm and added oil to it. She also had two eggs, salt and a spatula. She waited while the sun heated the oil.
She left it outside for a while.
Eventually, she cracked the eggs into the pot. She added her salt and waited again.
The oil started bubbling and the eggs started changing colour.
While waiting, she said she checked the car and the temperature was 46°C in Richards Bay.
In the second video, the egg whites were visibly white while Magalingum moved the eggs around in the pot.
Unfortunately, the video cuts before the eggs are completely cooked.
In another post, De Wet said Richards Bay should be renamed to Frying Pan. His post had the picture of a vehicle gauge, showing a temperature of 42°C.
In another matter, the Kloof and Highway SPCA said that by 10am on Saturday morning, they had seen several cases of early stages of heatstroke with their team quickly jumping into action.
Cape Times