South Africa was hit by heavy thunderstorms on Thursday, with KwaZulu-Natal province on a level 6 alert for heavy rain and flooding. A cold front sweeping over the region lifted up the warm air, which quickly condensed to form the storms. About 100mm of rain fell in 24 hours. Thunderstorms will continue on Friday but they will tend to be less intense.
Perth in Western Australia was also battered by a severe thunderstorm on Thursday. Wind gusts of up to 70mph (113km/h) were reported, which brought down power lines and left thousands without power. At Culford weather station 41.2mm of rain fell within three hours, while Barberton East and Maxon Farm stations had 30.8mm and 30.4mm of rainfall respectively within 30 minutes, leading to localised flooding.