The Department of Meteorology has forecast heavy showers above 100mm at some places in the Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and North Central provinces on Wednesday, as the influence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone over Sri Lanka strengthens.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places of the island after 1.00 p.m., the department said in its daily advisory. Showers are likely in the Southern and Eastern provinces during the morning hours. Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces during the early hours of the morning.
The 100mm threshold is materially higher than the 50mm forecast issued a day earlier, with the heavy-fall area shifting from the Western/Sabaragamuwa/Uva/Eastern band to the upcountry interior. The general public has been requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
The advisory comes ahead of the official 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, with the wind shift expected after May 15. The current rainfall is being driven by the ITCZ — where winds from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres converge — combined with a low-level atmospheric disturbance developing in the area.
Source: Ada Derana.
