Fire danger hour by hour in Gqeberha
The fire-danger index combines temperature, how dry the air is, how hard the wind is blowing and how long it has been since meaningful rain. It is not a chance of fire — it is how fast and how fiercely one would run if it started.
| Hour | Index | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Today | ||
| 13:00 | 2 | low |
| 14:00 | 2 | low |
| 15:00 | 2 | low |
| 16:00 | 2 | low |
| 17:00 | 1 | low |
| 18:00 | 1 | low |
| 19:00 | 1 | low |
| 20:00 | 2 | low |
| 21:00 | 2 | low |
| 22:00 | 2 | low |
| 23:00 | 2 | low |
| Tomorrow | ||
| 00:00 | 2 | low |
| 01:00 | 1 | low |
| 02:00 | 1 | low |
| 03:00 | 1 | low |
| 04:00 | 1 | low |
| 05:00 | 1 | low |
| 06:00 | 1 | low |
| 07:00 | 1 | low |
| 08:00 | 1 | low |
| 09:00 | 1 | low |
| 10:00 | 1 | low |
| 11:00 | 1 | low |
| 12:00 | 1 | low |
Under 12 is low, 12 to 24 high, 25 to 49 very high, 50 to 74 severe, and 75 and above extreme. The number climbs through the middle of the day because the air dries out as it warms, and it drops back after sunset when the humidity comes up again.
Why the number is where it is today
It is about 20° in Gqeberha with the humidity around 78% and the wind at 10 km/h. No meaningful rain has fallen in the last three days, so the veld is carrying dry fuel. Gusts stay under 28 km/h in the next twelve hours, which keeps the ceiling on how fast anything could run.
Active fires near Gqeberha
Satellites passing over southern Africa pick up the heat of a burning fire directly. These are detections from the last twelve hours within 150 km, newest first — a detection is a hot spot seen from orbit, which is usually a veld or land-clearing fire and is sometimes a sugar-cane burn or a large industrial flare.
No active fire detections within 150 km of Gqeberha in the last twelve hours. That is not the same as no fire: satellites see the ground a few times a day, thick cloud hides a fire completely, and a small fire under trees may never be hot enough to register.
Braai, burning and the rules today
Yes — conditions are mild enough that a normal, contained braai carries little risk. Put the coals out properly anyway.
Two things are true every day of the year, not only the bad ones. Under the National Veld and Forest Fire Act you are liable for a fire that starts on your property and spreads, and that liability does not depend on the weather. And a discarded cigarette, a grinder throwing sparks, or a braai left with coals still alive is the start of most of the fires anyone can put a cause to.
When Gqeberha’s fire season is
South Africa has two fire seasons, in opposite halves of the year, because it has two rainfall regimes. The summer-rainfall interior and east burn in the dry, windy months from about May to October, when last summer's grass has cured and nothing has fallen on it for months. The winter-rainfall southwestern Cape burns in the opposite half, roughly December to March, when the fynbos is at its driest and the berg wind blows. That is why a national fire map is never quiet: something in the country is always in season.
The Eastern Cape coast sits between two fire seasons and gets a version of both, with the dangerous days concentrated on berg-wind conditions from about July to October when hot, dry air comes down off the interior and the wind blows offshore. The grass and coastal thicket here carry a fire well once it is moving, and the same wind that dries the fuel is the one that drives the flames towards the coast rather than away from it.
More for Gqeberha
Fire danger nearby
Overhead is a free guide built on live open weather data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). It is advisory only — for official warnings and emergencies, follow the South African Weather Service.