The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has confirmed that a message that is currently circulating on social media platforms warning of a storm dubbed “Storm Baron” is false and should be regarded as a hoax.
“There is currently no tropical cyclone activity over the south-western Indian Ocean, and no officially recognised storm named Baron,” the weather service said on Thursday.
However, an intense low-pressure system is expected to develop over the southern parts of Mozambique in the coming days.
This system is forecast to then move further south and is expected to bring widespread showers and thunderstorms to the north-eastern parts of the country from early morning Saturday, 10 January 2026, persisting until Thursday 15 January 2026.
The areas’ most likely to be affected include the escarpment and lowveld areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as well as north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal.
“It must be noted that, at present, there remains significant uncertainty regarding the exact placement of the core of the system, which directly influences where the heaviest rainfall is expected.
“While several numerical weather prediction models place the system’s core to the east of South Africa, over southern Mozambique, there are those models that indicate it could track much closer to the country," the SAWS said.
The first scenario would result in relatively lower rainfall amounts, while the second would mean very high amounts, potentially totalling several hundreds of millimetres in some places.
The SAWS continues to closely monitor this situation and will be providing regular updates as new information becomes available. -SAnews.gov.za
