The Department of Meteorology has issued a severe lightning advisory covering 14 districts under red alert and 11 districts under amber alert, effective until 11.30pm on Tuesday.
The red alert applies to the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, North-Central and North-Western provinces along with the Vavuniya, Mannar and Ampara districts. Thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely after 1.00pm at some places, with temporary localised strong winds during the showers.
The department urged the public to take precautions to minimise damage. Lightning strikes have caused fatalities and injuries during recent advisories, including a woman killed at Habaraduwa on May 3 and earlier incidents linked to the Pitakanda strike in Ratnapura.
May has been an active period for severe-lightning advisories, with red alerts issued earlier this season including a 16-district warning on April 27 and a 19-district warning on April 23. The pattern is consistent with the inter-tropical convergence zone that produces enhanced afternoon thundershowers across the central highlands and dry zone before the south-west monsoon onset.
The public is advised to avoid open ground, isolated trees and water bodies during thunderstorms, and to unplug sensitive electrical equipment.
Source: Newswire.
