Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-Western provinces and in the Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Matara districts today, the Department of Meteorology said.
Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva Province and in the Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.
Winds shift north
Fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over the Northern, North-Central, North-Western and Southern provinces and in the Trincomalee district, the department added.
That is a change from Saturday’s forecast, which put the same wind speeds over the Central Province rather than the Northern Province. The shower band has also widened slightly, with the heavier “several spells” wording now applied to Sabaragamuwa and the four districts as well as the Western and North-Western provinces.
The public has been asked to take adequate precautions to minimise damage from temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Rain against a dry backdrop
The showers arrive during a prolonged dry spell that has left more than 68,000 people affected across four districts and pushed national reservoir storage down to 37% of capacity.
Separately, the department has forecast that the heat index will reach the “Caution” level in seven districts during the daytime today.
A Cabinet sub-committee is due to review the El Niño situation on Monday, and the Agriculture Ministry has drawn up a cultivation plan intended to protect food supplies through the dry conditions.
