Monday, 7 September opens with a noticeably quieter warnings picture than the weekend delivered.

The Severe Thunderstorms and Damaging Winds warnings that covered parts of Gauteng, the Western Cape and surrounding areas over the weekend have both expired.

That leaves just one confirmed warning still in force.

SAWS confirms a Veld Fire Conditions warning (Level 10) remains active for Vredendal, running until Tuesday.

SAWS warnings today: what’s actually still active

This warning applies when the Fire Danger Index sits above 75.

At that level, fires can develop and spread rapidly, posing a genuine risk to property, animals and people in the area.

Unlike the rain and wind warnings that dominated the weekend, fire danger warnings don’t track an incoming weather system.

Instead, they measure how dry, hot and windy conditions have combined locally to create the right environment for fires to ignite and spread fast.

That’s part of why this warning has outlasted the weekend’s storm-related alerts.

Fire risk can persist in specific, drier inland pockets of the country even while the rest of the map looks considerably calmer.

SAWS warnings today: why it’s worth checking again

Based on the most recent available update from SAWS, Vredendal’s fire danger warning is the only one confirmed still running into Monday.

That said, this article was drafted the evening before publication, so it’s worth verifying against SAWS’s live warnings page once today’s full bulletin is out, in case new warnings have been added overnight.

For residents in and around Vredendal, that means keeping basic fire precautions in mind for at least one more day: avoiding open flames, staying alert to any signs of smoke, and reporting anything suspicious quickly.

It’s a good reminder that the quietest-looking warnings map can still carry a genuine risk somewhere on it. Worth a second glance before assuming it’s all clear.

Are you in the Vredendal area, and are you taking precautions today?

Let us know in the comments below, Mzansi…