THE Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has warned members of the public against high and searing temperatures ranging from 30 to 35 Degrees Celsius to be experienced in most parts of the region this week.

This comes at a time when the Meteorological Services Department has warned of extreme temperatures above the average for October saying some parts of Zimbabwe may experience record-breaking highs.

In a statement yesterday, SADC said parts of central southern Africa would experience temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius over a consecutive period of three days and there are occasions when temperatures would exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

“Extreme south-eastern Angola, north and eastern most parts of Botswana, eastern half of Eswatini, south- eastern parts of Madagascar, southern Malawi, most of Mozambique, extreme north eastern Namibia, eastern fringes of South Africa, south and eastern Zambia, northern fringes and southern half of Zimbabwe will have a high probability to experience a heatwave during the period of 25 to 31 October 2019,” read the SADC statement.

“Most of the central parts of the SADC region stretching from southern Angola through eastern Namibia, Botswana, most of Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Malawi to northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania are in a Heatwave WATCH category. Western Madagascar is also in a WATCH category for a potential heat wave during the forecast period of 25 to 31 October 2019.”

SADC also advised members of the public to adhere to all the health advisories provided by local institutions in Member States.

“For parts of the region where there is a high probability for a heat-wave to be experienced, there is a need to adhere to precautions to avoid heat related health problems, such as heat stroke among others. Users are encouraged to consult the National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services (NMHSs) in the SADC Member States interpretation and the relevant National Institutions.”