The Department of Meteorology has issued a Red advisory for strong winds and rough seas across the northern and western coast, warning fishing and naval communities to stay ashore until further notice.
Sea areas extending from Kankesanthurai to Kalpitiya via Mannar will be very rough at times, with strong gusty winds of 60–70 kmph, the Met Department said. Sea areas from Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai via Mullaitivu, and from Kalpitiya to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota, will also be rough at times with gusty winds reaching 50–60 kmph.
Wave heights are expected to increase to 2.0–2.5 metres along the stretch from Mannar to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota. The advisory does not specify a duration but instructs naval and fishing communities not to venture into the affected sea areas until further notice.
The Red advisory escalates the monsoon weather warning regime, which has been operating at the Amber level for most of the past week. The Met Department issued an Amber advisory for strong winds across the central highlands and Sabaragamuwa on June 5, followed by a separate Amber strong-wind advisory linked to the monsoon on June 8. The Red bulletin is the highest tier in the Met Department’s three-step colour-coded system.
The southwest monsoon is now fully active over Sri Lanka, with the cross-equatorial flow strengthening over the Arabian Sea and pushing rougher conditions into the western and northern sea areas. Fishing fleets operating out of Negombo, Chilaw, Mannar and the Jaffna peninsula are most directly affected, alongside small-craft operators using the southern stretch from Galle to Hambantota for inshore trips.
Update — June 10 renewal
The Met Department renewed the Red advisory at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, with an explicit 24-hour validity window running until 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11. The geographic scope is unchanged — Kankesanthurai to Kalpitiya via Mannar at 60–70 kmph, Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai and Kalpitiya to Pottuvil at 50–60 kmph — and wave heights of 2.0–2.5 metres remain expected along the Mannar-to-Pottuvil stretch via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota. Naval and fishing communities were again instructed not to venture into the affected sea areas.
Sources: Ada Derana — June 9; Ada Derana — June 10 renewal.
Update — June 11 renewal
The Met Department renewed the Red advisory again on Thursday, June 11, with the validity window now running until 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 12. The wind and wave parameters were lifted slightly: gusty winds of 50–60 kmph are now expected over the sea areas from Trincomalee to Kankesanthurai via Mullaittivu and from Kalpitiya to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota, while wave heights of 2.0–2.5 metres remain forecast along the Mannar-to-Pottuvil stretch. The continued renewal of the Red bulletin through a third 24-hour window signals that the southwest monsoon flow remains strong enough to sustain hazardous sea conditions across the northern, western and southern coastal belt.
