Overall Green Flood
in South Africa

Event summary

Flood can have a low humanitarian impact based on the magnitude, exposed population and vulnerability.

GDACS ID FL 1103716
Death: 19
Displaced: -
Countries: South Africa
From - To 12 Jan - 15 Jan

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Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
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Analytical products
South Africa - Severe weather and floods, update (ECHO 27 Jan 2026)Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:50

  • Very heavy rainfall has been affecting north-eastern South Africa (mainly the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, bordering southern Mozambique) since late December, causing severe floods that have resulted in an increasing humanitarian impact.
  • On 19 January 2026, the Government of the Republic of South Africa declared a National Disaster due to the ongoing severe flooding citing widespread loss of life, infrastructure damage, displacement and disruption of schooling and agriculture. 
  • The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports, as of 22 January, 37 fatalities, of whom 20 are across the Mpumalanga province and 17 more in the Limpopo province. In addition, the same source also reports 51 injured people across both provinces and a total of approximately 9 900 affected people, of whom 5 000 are in the Mpumalanga province and 4 900 in the Limpopo province. One evacuation centre hosting 86 evacuated people was established in the Limpopo province. Moreover, 710 damaged houses, of which 60 were completely destroyed, were reported across the Limpopo province.
  • According to the African Union Continental Watch, a possibility of heavy precipitation (between 100mm and 150 mm) is likely to be expected over the next 96 hours, over north-eastern South Africa.
Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe - Severe weather and floods, update (ECHO 24 Jan 2026)Mon, 19 Jan 2026 10:20

  • Very heavy rainfall has been affecting Mozambique (mainly the southern and the central provinces) since 24 December, causing widespread floods that have resulted in an increasing humanitarian impact. The worst affected provinces are Gaza, Maputo, Inhambane and Sofala.
  • As of 19 January, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGD) reports 43 fatalities, 28 injured people, approximately 68 600 currently evacuated people in 77 accommodation centres and a total of nearly 610 000 affected people across the country. In addition, INGD also reports 3 231 destroyed houses and around 78 000 damaged houses countrywide.
  • DG ECHO partners in Mozambique, CARE and WFP, are currently responding to the crisis.
  • The Copernicus EMS was activated in rapid mapping mode on 17 January. 14 maps have been produced so far.
  • Moreover, very heavy rainfall since early January caused severe floods across the neighbouring South Africa and Zimbabwe. In South Africa, the death toll reached 30 fatalities since late December. The worst affected provinces are Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In Zimbabwe, 70 fatalities were reported across Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands and Mashonaland East provinces.
  • Over the next 24 hours, more heavy rainfall, with locally very heavy rainfall, is still forecast over most of Mozambique, north-eastern South Africa and all of Zimbabwe.
South Africa - Floods
  • Since December 2025, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, located in north-eastern South Africa and bordering southern Mozambique, are experiencing heavy rain and consequent floods, leading to severe weather-related incidents, casualites and damage. Flood waves continue to move downstream, with water levels remaining above the 20-year return period threshold.
  • According to media, at least 19 people died, of which 14 were in Mpumalanga and five in Limpopo. Additionally, ten schools have been affected, roads and bridges have been flooded, resulting in temporary closures and limited-service provision.
  • For the next 48 hours, moderate to locally heavy rain is expected over the two affected provinces. Orange warnings for disruptive rainfall have been issued over the eastern parts of Limpopo and over Mpumalanga.
Thu 15 Jan 2026Provided by ECHO Daily Flash
Detailed event map. European Union, 2026. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

Estimated casualties (PAGER)

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Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (36), NASA (3), WMO (1), INFORM (2), (1),