Showers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in the Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Matara districts on Thursday, the Department of Meteorology said.
Fairly heavy rainfall above 50mm is likely at some places, according to Ada Derana.
Showers or thundershowers may develop at a few places in the Ampara, Monaragala, Hambantota and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m. Mainly dry weather will prevail elsewhere on the island.
Strong winds of about 40 to 50 kmph can be expected at times over the western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central and North-western provinces, and in the Trincomalee, Monaragala, Hambantota and Matale districts.
The department asked the public to take adequate precautions against damage from temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
A step up from earlier in the week
Thursday’s forecast marks the first time this week the department has attached a quantified rainfall figure to the south-western band. The outlook issued for Tuesday covered the same three provinces and the same four districts but carried no 50mm threshold, and the afternoon thundershower zone has since widened to include Hambantota.
The rain remains concentrated in the south-west rather than in the dry zone. Met Department Director General Ajith Wijemanna said this week that the severe dry weather affecting much of the island is expected to persist until around the end of September, with some increase in rainfall likely in parts of the country including the south-west.
That leaves the areas worst affected by the dry spell largely outside Thursday’s rain band. Of the districts the Disaster Management Centre lists as hardest hit, only Ampara, Monaragala and Batticaloa appear in the forecast, and only as isolated afternoon thundershowers. Roughly 8,000 acres of farmland have been damaged by the dry spell, and the strong winds forecast for the Northern and North-central provinces will add evaporative stress to an area already short of water.
An amber advisory for 2 to 3 metre waves from Colombo to Pottuvil via Galle, Matara and Hambantota remains in place for the same southern and eastern sea areas.
