The Department of Meteorology expects the heat index — the temperature felt on the human body — to remain at the ‘Caution’ level in parts of the country on Monday, September 14, Hiru News reported.
The advisory covers the Eastern and North Central provinces and the Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Monaragala and Hambantota districts.
The department added that showers or thundershowers are likely at several places across most parts of the island after 1.00 p.m. on Monday.
Heat and rain in the same forecast
The two halves of the advisory are not in conflict, but they sit oddly together — and the same districts are carrying both warnings inside 24 hours.
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre issued an Amber advisory for severe lightning on Sunday, valid until 11.30 p.m., covering the Eastern, Uva, North Central, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces and the Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Kurunegala districts, the Daily Mirror reported. Eastern Province, North Central Province, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu appear on both that list and Monday’s heat list.
Separately, the Meteorology Department forecast rainfall above 100mm in five provinces on Sunday, and the Disaster Management Centre reported that adverse weather has now affected more than 17,000 people with ten deaths.
A heat index at ‘Caution’ in the morning and thundershowers from the early afternoon are consistent with each other: humidity from the approaching convection raises the felt temperature before the rain arrives. What the department does not address is how this squares with the dry-weather outlook it issued on Friday, which warned that the developing El Niño may be the strongest in 75 years and expected low rainfall for roughly a fortnight.
What ‘Caution’ means
Ada Derana reported the same advisory on Sunday, describing it as an Amber-level warm weather advisory issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre, and set out the threshold: at the ‘Caution’ level, fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and activity, and continued activity could bring on heat cramps. It said the public had been urged to take precautions, with outdoor workers advised to stay hydrated and take frequent breaks in shaded areas.
Ada Derana’s site returned a CloudFront error and the report could not be verified directly, so it is not listed as a source here. The area list in its report matches Hiru’s exactly.
Recent advisories
This is the third warm weather advisory in under two weeks. The department issued one for September 4 and an Amber heat advisory covering North Central and Eastern areas on September 6 — largely the same districts named again on Monday.
Not reported
Hiru News does not give the specific temperature or heat-index values expected, name the districts within the two provinces most affected, say how long the warm conditions are expected to last beyond Monday, or indicate which parts of the island will see the afternoon showers.
