The Department of Meteorology has warned of heavy rainfall above 100mm at some places in five provinces and two southern districts on Friday, escalating its earlier advisory as a low-level atmospheric disturbance lingers near the island.
In its Friday advisory, the department said the prevailing showery conditions over Sri Lanka are expected to continue during the next few days. Heavy rainfalls above 100mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and North-Western provinces, and in the Galle and Matara districts.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places of the island after 1.00 pm. Morning showers are also likely in the Eastern and Northern provinces, while misty conditions can be expected in parts of the Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala district during the early hours.
The Met Department later issued a separate advisory warning of severe lightning. Red alerts have been issued to 21 districts and amber alerts to four, effective until 11.30 p.m. on Friday, covering the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-Western, North-Central, Uva and Southern provinces, as well as the Ampara, Batticaloa, Mannar and Vavuniya districts. The public has been urged to take adequate precautions to minimise damage from lightning activity and temporary localised strong winds during thundershowers.
A separate Met Department advisory said the heat index is likely to reach ‘Caution’ level in the Sabaragamuwa, Northern, North-Central, North-Western and Eastern provinces, and in the Hambantota and Monaragala districts, during the daytime on Friday. The ‘Caution’ band — typically 32–41°C in apparent temperature — can cause fatigue with prolonged exposure or activity, and the public was urged to limit outdoor work during peak hours, especially the elderly, children and those with health conditions.
The advisory raises the threshold from Thursday’s 75mm forecast covering Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva, Southern and North-Central provinces, and extends the affected area to include the Western and North-Western provinces. The persistent system precedes the formal onset of the south-west monsoon, which the Met Department signalled last week is likely to bring lower-than-usual rainfall under residual El Niño conditions.
Sources: Ada Derana; Newswire; The Island.
