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29 Oct 2018

Severe weather warning for eastern coastline

Se-Anne Rall (Daily News)

A severe weather warning has been issued for the eastern coast

The South African Weather Services has said that damaging winds will be experienced today and tomorrow.

“A gale force north-easterly is expected between Port Edward and Richard’s Bay tomorrow morning, becoming south-westerly from Port Edward in the afternoon, spreading northwards,” SAWS said.

Winds are expected to be between 60 to 65km/h.

SAWS has also predicted severe thunderstoms in most parts of the province tomorrow.

Thundershowers and rain has been predicted for Durban, Margate, Richards Bay, Riverview, underberg, Newcastle, Ladysmith, Mooi River, Kokstad, Ulundi, Ixopo and Pietermaritzburg.

Kwazulu Natal Today ‘s Weather overview: 29.10.2018 pic.twitter.com/PvmBnrKph4
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) October 29, 2018

MasterDrive managing director, Eugene Herbert, said with the start of summer, various parts of the country have already received weather warnings.

He offered the following tips to drivers in the event of a hailstorm.

What to do if you drive through a hailstorm:
• Follow weather alerts, listen to the radio and listen to hail alerts issued by insurance companies before driving.
• If a storm is imminent, avoid driving through it if you can.
• If you are already on the road, find a safe covered area to wait until the storm passes. This can be a garage or undercover parking.
• A tree will never provide adequate protection and it, along with items like power lines,can even cause more damage if it falls.
• If you continue driving, you increase the force with which the hail hits your car.
• Never get out of your vehicle. If the hail is large enough it can cause serious injury, possibly even a fatality.
• If you are on the highway, try exiting it before the hail gets too bad. If you are forced to stop, the highway is very dangerous place to do so.
• Use your discretion when using emergency lights. Theoretically, emergency lights are there to indicate a stationary car. If you use emergency lights while moving, it can create confusion.
• If, however, visibility is reduced to such a degree that you cannot see beyond a few feet in front of you, emergency lights are a necessity.
• Do not stop under bridges on a highway.
• Avoid stopping near low lying areas which can be affected by quickly rising water.
• Until you find a safe spot to wait the storm out, employ the same measures you would during a rain storm.
• Slow down.
• Increase following distances by three times the normal amount.
• Switch on your headlights – daytime running lights are not sufficient or adequate.
• If your windscreen is damaged in a storm, do not (unless absolutely necessary) attempt to drive with it like that, rather call for assistance.
• Check the rest of your car for damage that could make driving further dangerous, before starting again.